


Bring It to Your Shining Smile

by Lilyliegh



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Alternate Universe - School, Developing Friendships, Eventual Romance, Friendship, M/M, Post-Canon, minor Vkai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2018-12-22 14:07:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 173,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11968983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilyliegh/pseuds/Lilyliegh
Summary: Yuuma is a second-year Heartland Academy student hoping to also become a duel student at Maiami's You Show Duel School. By becoming friends with Yuuya and Yuzu, Yuuma discovers the beauty of Entertainment Dueling and Action Duels, and the many mysteries surrounding the four dimensional cities.





	1. Let's Go! The First Day of Duel School!

**Author's Note:**

> hi there, this is my epic fic for the YGO Big Bang 2017. i'm so happy with this project and the support i've received. thank you to Rei/@vanishing-rainias for being my wonderful beta! <3  
> also a huge thanks to my artists (@fluffymoe and @thetrainticketanime) and my fanmixer (pendulumscale @ Twitter) for their wonderful work!! please check it out on the ygobigbang dreamwidth page here: https://ygobigbang.dreamwidth.org/8431.html
> 
> so without further ado, Let's Enjoy!

“Yuuma! Tsukumo Yuuma! Wake up! Shit, you’re going to be late.”

Yuuma buries his head deeper into the covers. “I don’t care if I’m late. School doesn’t need me today.”

The covers are ripped from him and tossed to the floor. Warm sunshine drips through the windows and bathes him in a hazy, morning glow. Yuuma yawns loudly and stretches his arms high above his head, nearly bonking his sister on the nose as she glares over him. Yuuma checks and double-checks that his sister appears to have had her morning coffee, and when he notices her buzzing pager, he frowns.

“Aren’t you working? They look like they’re calling you.”

Akari huffs. “Yes, I’m working. I’m always working. But who else, tell me, is getting you out of bed on time?” She grabs his arm and tugs him to his feet; Yuuma’s toes stumble over the uneven boards in the attic, and it’s only by the guidance of his sister’s hand that he keeps himself steady and gazes blearily around the room.

“It’s your first day of duel school,” Akari mutters. “You should try to be on-time for once.”

Yuuma grins. Then he pushes at his sister’s hip, indignant that she leave his room. “I don’t need you here. I need you out so I can change. Go!”

Akari shakes her hand free, crosses her arms, and glares. “A thank-you would be kind.”

“Thank you, now go!” His sister rolls her eyes, but nonetheless complies and takes the ladder back down to the main levels. At once, Yuuma is awake: he scurries across the room, throwing together the first clothes he sees on his floor. His deck is sprawled across a small table, and he hastily shuffles it together and pockets it. He’d been editing his deck last night, pulling out old cards and slipping in new ones; he’s not satisfied with this deck because it’s half-complete, but it’s a fair start.

With his deck together and clothes mostly-on, Yuuma hurries down the stairs. He grabs the first thing on the table – toast – and shoves half of it in his mouth on his way out to door.

“Have a good day at school, Yuuma!”

He mumbles a goodbye around the toast in his mouth, and then bolts down the stairs, through the gate, and onto the street. If he were on-time, he might’ve seen another student race past him, but the rural streets are bare of any students getting to school. He’s that late.

Yuuma laughs to himself. His very first day of duel school, and he’s going to miss the first lesson. A part of him wonders if he won’t be allowed to join class because of how late he is, or if his classmates will have already started dueling and he’ll be left out. In the city-wide advertisement, the new Duel Schools had been promoted to have several classrooms depending on the duelist’s age and ability; several specialisation classes for focusing on different Summoning methods; and overall, a prestigious centre for dueling anyone. Akari had shown it to him one morning, and the thought of learning about dueling sounded exciting.

“Do you really want to go to duel school?” Kotori had asked him when he’d told her. “It’ll be like cram school –”

“Only with dueling!” Yuuma  had interrupted. Duel school did sound like a lot of extra effort, and there was only a small, traitorous part of his mind that thought perhaps there would be studying and tests. Duel schools sounded like a place to meet other duelists, learn new skills, and get into some small-league, city-wide tournaments. From there, Yuuma can then see himself travelling to regional and provincial championships, and then maybe take a hit at the East Asian dueling circuits.

Yuuma grins to himself. He’s been in tournaments before and come out victorious; hell, he’s saved the world and come out victorious. The Emperor’s Key around his neck glows in the morning sunshine. It’s been a while since Yuuma has heard from Astral, who while still connected to him is back in the Astral World as a messenger to Eliphas. Every so often Yuuma catches snatches of his voice or feelings. Sometimes it’s Astral talking to him, sharing details of his life as a royal messenger. Other times, Astral’s memories and emotions filter into Yuuma’s mind like passing details of a pleasant time: Yuuma never feels any fear or anger from Astral anymore.

In that same thought, Yuuma then wonders if Astral feels anything from him. When Yuuma’s hanging out with the Barians, or dueling Shark, or eating rice balls one-by-one, does Astral sense his feelings? Does Astral remember him in much the same way Yuuma remembers Astral – though happy memories?

The whirring sounds of the cars brings Yuuma’s spirits up. If he were late for duel school, Astral would berate him but not judge him. He might say, _What are you going to do to make sure they see you as a competent duelist?_ or _what will you do now?_ Yuuma can’t see Astral getting upset over something minor. Astral would still think he could get into duel school.

The whirring sounds grows louder, and Yuuma’s heart soars. He stretches his hands out wide, takes in a deep breath, and –

Something collides with his right arm, hard enough that Yuuma tumbles forward in a mess of now-dusty clothes on the pavement. He’d thankfully not been travelling down a hill or else he’d have rollen far more than a few feet forward, but Yuuma curses himself. Whatever he hits is thrown behind him, a blur of red and green and orange that keels backwards on the pavement. Yuuma wastes no time scrambling to his feet and turning on the other person.

“Watch where you’re – oh, are you OK?”

The boy looks to be a student. It’s hard to tell because duel school doesn’t require any special uniform, so the wild get-up the boy wears – cargo pants and a jacket as a cape – could mean anything, but Yuuma spots a deck case against the kid’s hip.

“Hey, hey! You’re a duelist!”

The boy rubs his head, laughing softly. His red and green hair, which Yuuma now realises is what he caught in the corners of his vision, is mussed up from the tumble. He has a pair of goggles on his head too, with one eye-hole covered by a blue star. What Yuuma is most interested in though, besides the boy’s deck, is the shoes. Two large, yellow wheels jut from the heels of his shoes; when the other boy stands, Yuuma sees them glow neon bright, and he cries out in excitement.

“Where did you get your shoes?”

“Huh?” The other duelist moves back and forth on his wheeled shoes, inspecting them for himself. Then his face breaks out in a silly smile, much in the same way Yuuma smiles when he’s found something new. “Ah, these. They’re my heelies. I got them somewhere far away.”

Yuuma nods in excitement. Akari sometimes buys imported, American merchandise that she finds on the internet. More than once she’s complained that the sizes are too big, that the shipping costs are outrageous, and that it’s pointless for her to buy from America when the product was already made in Western Asia. If this boy has import shoes, Yuuma wants them too. But … he laughs.

“You OK?”

The boy stills his hand, which up to that point had been pressed against the side of his head. “Well you did hit me …”

“And you were going at me full-force.” Yuuma shrugs. “Are you a duelist?”

“Yeah –”

Yuuma takes a step forward. The other boy is maybe an inch or two taller, and around the same age judging by his shoes and hair, and whatever else Yuuma can imagine junior high school boys would wear. He wouldn’t know; he and Tetsuo are the same age, and they couldn’t be more different if they tried. There is something about this boy, something Yuuma can’t quite put his finger on.

“Tsukumo Yuuma,” he says, extending his hand. “Regional top duelist and saviour of this world.”

Yuuma expects the boy to laugh at him. Shark had when they’d tag dueled a couple of intermediate level duelists in an open match last week. Apparently ‘saviour of the world’ was not an actual title, and one that Shark didn’t think Yuuma should be throwing around so aimlessly. But Shark isn’t here and this boy is, and this stranger clasps Yuuma’s hand tightly and gives it two firm shakes.

“Sakaki Yuuya,” he returns. “Regional top duelist of Maiami City and interdimensional hero.” He says it honestly, with such assurance that Yuuma can’t even imagine this boy would lie to him. There’s no mockingness in Yuuya’s tone, nor does he seems to disbelieve Yuuma for titling himself so proudly.

“Sakaki-kun? Like … Sakaki-kun the Entertainment Duelist?”

Yuuma can’t imagine his words being that powerful, but whatever he says makes Yuuya beam and clasp his hand even tighter. “You know Entertainment dueling? Are you an Entertainment duelist too?”

Yuuma’s not sure. He’s heard of Entertainment dueling, and he watches shows that feature the particular dueling style, but he’s never paid enough attention to answer a question. Not wanting to appear naive, he waves his hand. “Sure, sure!”

This only seems to make Yuuya happier. He’s visibly quivering, bouncy red and green hair blowing with each jump in his body. “We’ve _got_ to duel then – you and me, together – oh no!” He stops. “I’m going to be late for class! I was going to be late anyways, but now I’m really going to be in trouble!”

Yuuma only pauses. “You’re … you’re a duel student?” He grabs Yuuya’s hand and tugs him down the street; Yuuya’s heelies retract into his shoes so he doesn’t trip, and Yuuma pulls Yuuya further into the city centre. “You’re my classmate, Sakaki-kun!”

“Really? That’s great!”

Yuuma takes a sharp turn to the right; Yuuya seems to have the same path in mind, and his body follows around the bend. By some miracle, Yuuma realises that Yuuya is able to keep up with him. The other duelist jogs behind him, never seeming to run out of breath. He smiles to the sky as they dash down the busier streets and into another suburb, this one tucked back with several family-run shops and small parks dotting around the cosy homes. Yuuma has never been to this area before, but he feels a drawing down each street. He hopes he’s leading Yuuya in the right direction.

Around the last turn, Yuuma spots the duel school. Unlike a government-funded elementary or secondary school, duel schools don’t sport all the riches funding can offer: there’s no wide archway leading up the a prestigious building; there’s no pool or sports fields, no academic programs; and there certainly aren’t dozens of teachers passing out assignments. Instead, You Show Duel School is one building crammed between an apartment complex and a small office building. The duel school stands out with its futuristic dimensions and electric blue paint job though, which Yuuma can appreciate with a gasp.

“Look at that!” Yuuma cries, tugging insistently on Yuuya’s arm. “We found it!”

Yuuya gives him an incredulous look. “You didn’t know where you were going?”

Giggling, Yuuma shakes his head. “I just followed the scent of duelists.”

He sees Yuuya’s brows furrow in confusion before he laughs outright, and shakes his hand free. “You’re something else, Tsukumo-kun.”

Since Yuuya seems to know where to go once inside, Yuuma follows him into the school. There is a set of blocked stairs leading up to other parts of the building; on the main floor there’s an office, and down the hall are classrooms and one Solid Vision duel room. The overall appearance is warm and cheery, but Yuuma can’t even begin to imagine where to go even with the directions. He peeks into the office window; no one is there.

“Shuuzou and Yuzu are probably already in class,” Yuuya explains.

“Who?”

“The teacher and his daughter.”

Yuuma nods. He takes one look down the hallway and then hurries to the first door he sees. Regardless of whether there’s a class going on or not, Yuuma slides it open with a loud crash.

There is. Ten pairs of eyes look back at him, some crinkling in surprise and others narrowing in frustration. At the front of the class is one teacher, red hair glowing as bright as his cheeks, and he pauses midway to look at Yuuma. He doesn't look angry, not yet at least, and Yuuma takes this as a sign to greet the duel instructor.

“Tsukumo Yuuma, junior youth and prodigy student,” he introduces to the class, taking up the first seat he sees next to a girl glaring daggers at him for interrupting the class. Her face brightens though when she looks past Yuuma and at Yuuya, who slips through the doorway with an abashed smile.

“Sorry, sorry, teach. I’m here now.” He takes up a seat next to Yuzu; Yuuma cranes himself over the desk to see that Yuuya and the girl are whispering to each other, and quiet enough that Yuuma can’t hear anything. He wonders who the other girl is – has Yuuya been to duel school before? Or does he go to junior high with her as well? Whatever conversation they’re having, Yuuma feels a twinge of jealousy for being left out. He’s Yuuya’s friend too! But rather than cut off their friendship, Yuuma introduces himself to the girl.

“Tsukumo Yuuma, duel champion.”

She nods, then turns back to Yuuya. Yuuma huffs; she’s ignoring him. He opens his mouth once more to tell her he’s fought _Barians_ in an intergalactic war, but the teacher cuts him off with a loud clap. His eyes seem to bore into Yuuma, who takes a second longer than everyone else to focus their attention on the front of the class. Shuzou stands with a paper fan, waving it tauntingly. It seems to have a surprising effect on the pink-haired girl: she goes beet-red and hides her face in her hands.

“You all seem rather antsy,” Shuuzou comments. He pauses for effect. “You know, sometimes it’s best to learn on the spot. C’mon, we’ll test this out with some duels!”

Yuuma is the first out of his seat, scrambling to the door to be the first behind Shuuzou and the first into the duel room. Yuuma expects this to mean that he’ll get to duel first, but instead the teacher has them pair up for partner duels. At once, Yuuma sees that he’s the new student and left out of all groups: the other students pair up with their friends, and regardless of Yuuma’s friendliness he realises that he’s the only one without a partner. Yuuma looks to Yuuya and the girl, who’d sought out at once to be partners.

“Can we be a group of three?”

The pink-haired girl smiles. “Sure, I bet Dad forgot to count out and he hadn’t realised this class is an uneven number. We’ll just switch off between duels, OK?”

Yuuma nods. “That’s your dad then?” He points above him, where the teacher had dashed off to start up the Real Solid Vision system in preparations of the Action duels.

“Yep, that’s my father.” The girl extends her hand. “Hiiragi Yuzu, duel student.”

Yuuma takes her hand, shaking it enthusiastically. “Tsukumo Yuuma, duel champion.”

She levels him with a stare. “We shall see, Tsukumo-kun.”

Yuuya lets them take the first duel, if only because he says he spots a heated duel that he doesn’t want to miss. Yuuma’s never dueled using duel school technology before, but he’s accustomed to using the Solid Vision programs in his D-Gazer, so he expects this to not be much different. Besides, he’s seen Action Duels on the TV before, and so he thinks it won’t be too difficult.

To Yuuma’s surprise, it’s nothing like D-Gazer Solid Vision. Action Duels seem to trigger something primal in him: he wants to jump and spin and fly across the stadium with newfound energy. He can barely keep still, bouncing from foot to foot. His partner, Yuzu, manages to keep her feet planted until the music starts.

“Ready to chant?” she calls.

Yuuma’s heard the chant on television before, and excitedly he jumps up to start. “Duelists locked in battle!”

“Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!

“Behold!  This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling!”

And together, with Yuuma’s voice shouting louder than everyone else’s: “Action Duel!”

When the duel starts, Yuuma at once realises he is at a disadvantage. Yuzu plays a Melodious Fusion deck, something Yuuma has never encountered outside of televised duels. He can’t even begin to _imagine_ how one Fusion Summons, but Yuzu has the strategy down pat. His life points are chipped away after several hits by her monsters, then combined together for one Fusion Summon.

“Never dueled a Fusion Duelist before?” Yuzu asks.

“No, but it’s really cool!” Yuuma admits. He grins at his cards. “Even dueled an Xyz Duelist?”

Yuzu nods. “Several, actually.”

Yuuma gaps. “How?” he says. “Heartland has Xyz duelists – just Xyz, nothing else.”

It’s Yuuya who responds though. “That’s why you’re so unfamiliar. You’re not from around here, are you? Are you an exchange student? Wait, are you supposed to be at LDS and not here? You didn’t look familiar at all, and if you’ve never even heard of Fusion, Synchro, and Pendulum then you’re at a huge disadvantage.”

“Of course I’m supposed to be here,” Yuuma states. “This is the duel school. My sister signed me up to go here. She said if I was that invested in dueling I should get some more practice. But wait … what the hell is a Synchro Summon?”

Yuuma’s life points fall from one last hit of Yuzu’s ace monster, Bloom Diva. The monster, once a real, solid image, flickers and fades from the end of the duel. Yuuma watches the field draw back to the simple, outdoor arena where all the other students are Dueling. He spots some basic dueling, and one child Xyz summons in a flash of galactic light, but the others seem engaged in other forms of Dueling. Like Yuzu had done, Yuuma spots a Duelist combine two cards together, and from their Extra Deck summon a high-level monster. Another Duelist combines two monsters, but instead of a Fusion, it seems to Tune the monster to a higher level. And finally, Yuuma spots across the field one of the smallest children cry out “Pendulum Summon”as she plants two monsters on either side of her Field, and summon multiple monsters at once. The sight is majestic to behold, until Yuuma realises that he knows how to do none of this.

“You’ve never used a different Summoning method?” Yuuya asks.

“Well sure I have,” Yuuma replies. “I can Xyz Summon. Everyone in Heartland can do that.”

“That’s true. Heartland has been known for its strong Xyz duelists. I think there’s even a post-graduate Xyz dueling program over there, for when you complete all the Xyz curriculum at LDS.”

The name LDS rings a bell to Yuuma, though perhaps that’s because all morning this school’s been talking in acronyms and fancy Duel lingo that Yuuma has rarely encountered in Heartland.

“LDS?” Yuuya repeats. “Leo Duel School. It’s a fancy private Duel school for the top students around the world. It costs a fortune to get into, and it’s very selective of its students, but my friend’s family owns it and it teaches some of the best duelists worldwide.”

“Yuuya even helped design some of the curriculum,” Yuzu adds.

Yuuma wheels on Yuuya. “You’re a teacher?”

“No, no, I’m a duelist, a Pendulum duelist. I helped my friend Reiji design the Pendulum curriculum because he needed a second opinion, though I don’t know why since he duels Pendulum too.”

“He wanted your help,” Yuzu answers. “He’s not going to admit he needs help, but consider that his way of saying you’re Maiami’s best duelist and he’d like your expert opinion.” She then turns to Yuuma. “You haven’t been to LDS, have you? If you’re new here, you might not have seen it in the city centre. I can take you after class, if you’d like.”

“Sure! I don’t think my sister will mind.”

While Yuuma begs to duel Yuuya next, Yuzu says that she’s won, and therefore she gets to duel next. It makes sense to Yuuya who proudly stands up and walks to the centre of the field. Both duelists lock eyes, grin, and begin the chant. There’s something different about their chant, as if they’d dueled a hundred times before and this saying is a dialogue passed between them. At the end of the chant, their Duel Disks activate.

The duel starts with vigour. In Yuzu’s opening hand she Fusion Summons. This time, Yuuma catches her pose: she claps her hands together, bring them in front of her chest as she cries, “Fusion Summon!” If Yuuya is deterred from her great move, it doesn’t show on his face.

“Good turn, Yuzu! Now it’s mine!”

True to their past conversation, Yuuya is a Pendulum Duelist. His ace monsters are strong pillars on either side of his field that, when he activates his Pendulum Zone, bathe the field in a gentle, blue light. Yuuma has never heard of a Performapal deck before, but the more monsters Yuuya summons the more excited Yuuma becomes. Yuuya’s deck works in synch: each Summon and spell card he uses only boosts up the energy in the room.

And then Yuuya jumps. Yuuma can’t say that his feet ever stay planted when he duels, as he’s prone to minor acrobatics during any duel. However, what Yuuya tries is from another dimension: he throws himself onto a dragon he’s summoned and, riding it, races towards a card across the field. Yuuma doesn’t remember ever seeing any cards when he was dueling, though he also hadn’t been looking for any. With a cheer, Yuuya reaches for the card and catches it between his outstretched fingers.

It’s an Action Card. Distantly, Yuuma remembers reading up about these in one of his sis’ news articles. Action Dueling hasn’t come to Heartland’s minor dueling circuits yet, but Yuuma still knows enough about it to cheer when Yuuya activates the card, boosts the Attack of his monster, and targets Yuzu’s monsters for a heavy hit that sends her shooting across the Field.

“You OK?” he asks.

Yuzu stands and brushes the dust from her knees before smirking. “You’ll have to do better than that, Yuuya, if you want to beat me!”

The rest of the duel passes in unbridled energy. Yuuma wishes he could duel against Yuuya: the more turns that pass, the more excited the duelists become. Yuuya’s dueling style is lively: he jumps and spins, catching his opponent off-guard with well-timed, strategic plays. He never seems to stop smiling, and when Yuzu is down to her final life points before Yuuya’s, he doesn’t boast. Yuuma soon sees this as a good thing when Yuuya’s life points plummet, and the final resolution of the duel is a draw.

“Still evenly matched,” Yuuya says, clasping her hand. “Good duel!”

“You too, but were you really practicing? We’re supposed to be working on Tribute Summons, and I didn’t see any of that from you.” Her cheeky smile makes Yuuma giggle; being late to class had them miss the main topic and the reason they were dueling today.

Yuuya huffs. “I don’t need to learn about that. I don’t even have any Tribute Monsters in my deck.”

Yuzu is nonplussed. “How many monsters does it take to summon a Level 7 monster?”

“One.”

“Wrong.”

Yuuya groans. “I’m not going to be dueling with Tributes, so it doesn’t matter. Besides, if Shuuzou’s grading us up there, he can watch my Pendulum Summons and mark those.”

Yuuuma hadn’t seen their teacher either, but from thin air he appears and shouts, “Being cocky in one Summoning method doesn’t make you a pro in the others. And why were you two late today?”

Yuuma blushes. “We made it here,” he says, avoiding the question. Shuuzou does not buy it.

Yuuya nods. “We got into some trouble on the way here. I promise, we were running down the hill to make it to class on time.”

“And we’re here, so that counts for something, right?” Yuuma adds. He grins and clasps his hands together. “I’m really excited to be here at your Duel School, man!”

“Sir,” Yuzu says quickly, and Yuuya and Yuuma giggle.

Shuuzou rolls his eyes a bit, but his expression still remains firm on both boys. He looks to Yuuma and asks, “Are you registered? I took attendance and no one was missing today …” Shuuzou’s voice dwindles off, and with it Yuuma’s excitement.

“Well no, I just came today to Duel. This is a Duel school, right? You come here for classes and you Duel, and then you go into tournaments –”

“And you pay tuition,” Shuuzou interrupts. “You haven’t paid yet, have you? You haven’t registered either.” He crosses his arms.

Yuuma’s heart sinks. His sister had told him about the Duel Schools and their classes, but she’d never mentioned tuition or prices. Yuuma had thought these were free courses offered to students. However, it appears that these programs are pricier than he thought. Yuzu passes him an ad for the school, on which in big letters it reads the semester or yearly tuition rates for each level of school.

“I don’t mind you coming to classes and all, but you’ve gotta pay the tuition. When you come back next week, how about you bring it?”

Yuuma looks from the price to Shuuzou, and from the price again to Yuuya and Yuzu. It’s about as much as his subsidised school tuition, and certainly more than any summer camp he’s ever begged his grandmother or sister to pay for. Nonetheless, Yuuma doesn’t want to give up hope. He’ll find a way to pay for the classes just so he can Duel with Yuuya and Yuzu again.

“I’ll bring the money next week, for sure!”

Shuuzou smiles. “I’m glad! You’re one fired-up kid, I can tell!”

“I’ll definitely have the money by next week! I’m coming to your class, and you’re gonna watch me Xyz summon!”

To his side, Yuuya adds, “And then you’ll duel my Pendulum monsters. We’ll have to duel next time!”

Yuuma nods. Now he definitely needs his sister and grandmother to pay for these duel courses. Even if they might not approve of his excessive dueling, and lack of focus on his other studies, they’ll surely see how excited he is to meet more Duelists and hone his skills. Plus Yuuma wants to duel Yuuya. After seeing an Action Duel, Yuuma just knows dueling Yuuya will bring out the best of Dueling.

Class ends shortly afterwards, and Yuuma hurries to pick up his stuff. Yuzu and Yuuya already have their backpacks, and they eagerly wait for him at the doorway. “You still want to go see LDS, right? We can’t go into the classrooms, but we can walk around the courtyard. It’s a beautiful school, even if it’s a bit over-the-top and monetised.”

Yuuma nods eagerly. “Is it bigger than here?”

“Yep,” Yuuya replies. “It’s the biggest Duel School in both the Eastern and Western Asian circuits, and arguably one of the main Duel Schools in the world. In a tournament last year, I got to duel against some of LDS’ top exchange students. They’re some of the best!”

“ _But,_ ” Yuzu adds, “the company is for-profit and a lot of the tuition goes back into research for LDS’ Real Solid Vision system, so the school itself is pricey to get into and to stay into. There are even students kicked out for not maintaining a certain duel point average.” She clears her throat. “Now You Show, for example, is not-for-profit, and all the tuition fees go back into designing more classes and paying for newer, better versions of Solid Vision. Until Akaba-san makes his dueling system affordable, You Show will need to keep paying into LDS.”

Yuuya laughs. “I think he’s still trying to tweak a few things with how the projects interact with duelists. He wants the added realism without the side effects.” He and Yuzu laugh, a private joke that, when Yuuma inquires about, they brush off.

“It’s just something that happened a while ago, nothing major.”

It certainly sounds like something major, and so Yuuma asks again. If this Solid Vision stuff is going to make him dizzy or turn his legs to jelly or some other unpleasant side effect, he’d like to know … not that it will stop him from using it, but if anyone asks he can say he knew of the risks and accepted the challenge. However, neither Yuuya nor Yuzu seem intent on telling him anything, and when Yuuma only presses further – “Tell me so I know if I’ll go crazy from this” – they only brush on his concerns with grimaces.

“Just don’t do anything stupid. This is still reality; if you fall, it hurts,” is Yuzu’s only comment.

Yuuya backs it up with, “And remember, always have fun.”

Yuuma can follow those rules.

As they make one more turn, Yuuma spots LDS. Yuuya and Yuzu had pointed it out to him ages ago when the pinnacle was but a speck on the horizon, nestled among other, smaller buildings; but now Yuuma can see it in all its glory. There are large courtyards on which young duelists are practicing; the pathway leading up to the building is pristine, and Yuuma with his dirty shoes tracks footprints down the pathway. He tries to spot what kinds of duels are happening in the fields, but the Summoning methods are so new, advanced, and _bizarre_ to him that Yuuma can’t keep up with the plays.

“Those are Fusion duelists,” Yuuya explains. He points to a girl, appearing just a bit older than the rest of the crowd, with brown skin and dark hair cascading down her back. “That’s Masumi. She must be coaching some after-school courses for the juniours.”

“I’ve dueled her before,” Yuzu says. “She runs a Gem-Knight deck, top-tier because of her amazing skills and combos.” Her cheeks go red in the sunlight.

“I’ve got to duel her then!” Yuuma says.

“You can try, but if you’re struggling against my Fusion deck, Masumi won’t be any easier. We’re evenly matched; we’ve even tag-dueled before, believe it or not.”

Yuuma is unwavered. “Yeah, yeah, I can still take on other duelists.”

When they get to the door, Yuzu stops him from entering with a hand on his shoulder. “This is still a school; we can’t just barge in in the middle of the day, regardless of whether or not we’re students. We can watch some of the duels if you’d like, but if not this is as far as we can go. Right, Yuuya?”

Yuuma turns to Yuuya, who, ignoring Yuzu’s words, has thrown open the door to LDS. Yuuma catches sight of a futuristic, simplistic interior; the building itself reminds him of homes where the riches are hidden beneath the basic features. It reminds him of the lower levels of Kaito’s house, only a bit friendlier with the chairs, benches, and desks. There are hallways branching off into different corridors, much like at You Show, and students mill around the lobby.

Yuuma holds his breath, almost shouting at the sight of the duelists inside.

“You’ve never been to a duel school before today, have you?” Yuzu asks with a wry smile.

“I’ve heard they’re different in Heartland. They’re more informal and focus on the duels themselves rather than the mechanics behind them.” Yuuya shrugs. “If we go inside, maybe we’ll see Reiji.”

“You want to bother him while he’s at work?”

Yuuya brushes her concern aside. “He’s not working,” he jokes.

It’s enough of an answer for Yuuma: he hurries through the doors and proceeds down the first hallway he spots. Most of the duelists are his age or older, though there are some juniors like the ones in the courtyard that glance at him with wide, curious eyes. LDS seems every bit the splendour as You Show with the extra budget.

“You’d have to pay even more to get into LDS,” Yuzu quips, “and they still don’t let in every duelist with pocket cash. You need a reputation as well.”

Again, Yuuya brushes her off, this time with a lazy smile. “Reiji is less strict about that. He’s taking a page out of your father’s book and making it more accessible to young duelists. It’s not going to be cheap, but it’s easier to get in now.” With a laugh, he adds, “Though I still love your dad’s place for being the home of Entertainment and Pendulum dueling.”

While Yuuya and Yuzu continue to chatter, Yuuma takes to exploring the rest of the corridors. Most have students sitting along the benches lining the hallways, though the areas are quieter than an exam room. No one seems to be dueling, but rather they’re all studying from textbooks or copying notes onto pieces of paper. In the dueling circuits in Heartland, young duelists didn’t studying; they just dueled. Being a duelist was something that came from practice and experience and believing in yourself, not spending hours pouring over a textbook.

With a sigh, Yuuma wonders if perhaps duel school isn’t cut out for him. Perhaps he shouldn’t try to scrounge up the money for something that’s going to keep him chained to a desk for even more of his life. He already struggles in school, specifically on focusing on subjects and keeping track of projects. The last thing he needs is more time spent in a classroom. Yuuya and Yuzu made duel schools sound like a promising future for Yuuma; it seemed like the path to take to become a professional duelist. Now the thought of going to school for dueling seems pointless. If Yuuma can’t even focus during class, how is he expected to learn anything from You Show.

“Hey.”

Yuuma looks up, startled. He quickly composes himself before Yuuya and comments, “This place is massive! Your friend, whatever his name is, definitely runs such a cool place!”

Yuuya laughs. “Reiji. His name is Reiji. And this isn’t just his school, it’s his family’s. I wish I could introduce you to them, but they’re probably teaching or working or something like that. It seems like they’re always working.”

This time it’s Yuuma who laughs. “I have a friend like that too. His name’s Kaito, and he’s always in his laboratory with his brother and his partner. They won’t ever let me come in, but I guess that means what they’re working on is a huge surprise.”

“Right right.” Yuuya pauses. “You’re going to keep coming to duel school, right? Coach is always happy to have another student, and honestly, you stand a good chance against any of us. Xyz users have some amazing combos!”

“Yeah, duel school sounds great,” Yuuma says. “I definitely want to come next week. I’m sure my grandmother and sister will pay for this.”

By the way Yuuya scrunches his brows, Yuuma thinks he might have something more to say. However, Yuuya drops the conversation after that and goes to find Yuzu. “I’ll see you next week, OK! Make sure to come on time too!”

“You too!”

Like sunshine, Yuuya waves goodbye before he goes. Yuuma waves as fast as his hands can, and when Yuuya is gone, Yuuma dashes home. His chest feels heavy with thoughts of having getting himself into something bigger than he intended to, but then again he’s never backed down from a challenge. So what if school is hard? Duel school has to be different. So what if he can’t Fusion summon? He’ll duel the Xyz way and still make it through the course.

And he’ll see Yuuya again. More than anything, Yuuma wants to see Yuuya more and more times, possibly as many times as he’s dueled anyone. Watching Yuuya duel had been nothing short of miraculous: the way he jumped and spun made Yuuma’s heart skip in delight. Yuuma even wonders how he could duel like Yuuya. An Entertainment duelist sounds like his way of dueling: with hopes and smiles and happiness between himself, his partner, and his monsters.

Thoughts resolved, Yuuma dashes home, eager to tell his family about the good news.


	2. Action Duel! The Beauty of Entertainment Dueling

Yuuma assumes that his grandmother and sister will appreciate the idea of him following his dreams. Akari has long since given up on banning him from dueling, especially now that he’s got friends and a reputation on the line. If anything, Yuuma thinks she’ll appreciate his suggestion to further his passions and not treat it as a hobby. He can make a living off of dueling; Gauche does, the Arclights do, and there’s enough pro duelists in the Western Asian circuit to challenge any misassumptions she has. His grandmother, who might ask him how he plans to bus across town to duel school at least four times a week, will change her mind once Yuuma tells her about how much this future means to him. He’s a duelist at heart, and he’ll only get better from taking these online classes.

However, as Akari berates him over dinner, Yuuma realises that there are several factors he hadn’t bothered to think about, which his sister now lists off as if he’d _never_ thought about them.

“You really think you can travel to and from duel school each day? And not be late at all? Yuuma, you didn’t even wake up on time today.”

Yuuma rolls his eyes. “Some of these classes are after school, sis. I’m not going to be sleeping through an alarm.”

“And how do you plan to get there? Your school is across town from our house, and you’re thinking to go to duel school in Maiami, which is in the complete opposite direction –”

“I know that.” Yuuma sighs and stabs at his pork with his chopsticks. “Like I said, I can bike there, or I can take the train. If I leave right after class, I won’t be late. And –” he holds his chopsticks aloft to cut off her next question “ – I will be fine leaving the school afterwards. It’s not that dark, and if I take the train home I’ll be safe.”

“I’m not worried about someone snatching you on the train,” she mumbles. “I’m scared of you falling asleep and missing your stop. You do realise how late you’ll be getting home, and then getting up the following morning for school? You can’t skip your first class because you stayed out dueling. That’s not a good excuse, and your teachers won’t buy it.”

“You just sound like you don’t want me to go at all, even though you’re the one who told me about it in the first place.” Yuuma slumps down in his seat, eager for the conversation to end. He’d been looking forward to hearing his family’s happy comments about how excited they were that he’d be pursuing his future career. However, the only things Akari has said are critiques on his lack of thought put towards this goal. His grandmother has occasionally offered a comment, always seeming to lean towards Akari’s side, and Yuuma feels like both of them are ganging up against him.

“If you didn’t want me to go in there first, you shouldn’t have shown me the brochure.”

Akari huffs. “I didn’t show you the brochure: you barged into my room looking for highlighters, and you saw my co-worker’s post about LDS’ junior youth courses. You decided to go to these classes all on your own, and dare I say I’m happy for you? I am, Yuuma. This was a good idea, but honestly how are you going to make it work without tiring yourself out? Everyone else in that class is from Maiami; they all probably go to school together –”

“That doesn’t matter,” Yuuma growls. “I hang out with Kaito and he doesn’t go to my school.”

“You’re missing the point, Yuuma.” Akari sets down her chopsticks and from across the table levels him with a serious look. “All those students aren’t travelling leagues to get to school. They’re all able to go to school fine.”

“And so am I!” Yuuma puts down his chopsticks as well. “Once I get the tuition, I’ll be fine to go.”

He doesn’t miss his grandmother’s ‘oh!’ or his sister’s swallow. “Tuition, Yuuma?”

Yuuma swallows; this is the deal-breaker. “Yeah, just a small tuition.” He reaches into his pocket and extracts the You Show brochure Shuuzou had given him earlier that day. After unwrinkling it, he flips to the tuition page and points to a small table of semesterly and yearly fees. There’s no mention of subsidised plans anywhere on the sheet, and Yuuma had forgotten to ask Shuuzou. Nonetheless, it is cheaper than regular school, and Yuuma knows he could work over the summer to pay back his sister if she helped him out.

Akari doesn’t look like she wants to help though. She bites her lip and scrunches one fist inside her long, red hair. When she looks up from the brochure, she struggles to form words. “I … didn’t know you had to pay for this. My co-worker’s article never said anything about fees.”

His grandmother is kind, but her words reverberate across the table and hit Yuuma like a mallet: “We can’t afford this, Yuuma.”

He hears it coming, but he still fights back. “I’ll pay you back! I’ll get a job over the summer and make us both money!”

“You can’t get a job; you’re still in school!”

“That’s why I’m getting a job _out_ of school. Or I’ll duel! Sis, I’ll win a tournament and pay you back. I promise, _please_ , let me go to duel school! I already have friends there, and the place is so nice, and the teacher is really cool! It’s the only school I can even imagine wanting to go to, and it’s not even that much! It’s half of what it costs to go to school! _Please,_ sis!”

“Yuuma,” his grandmother says, “enough. We are paying for your school. This is out of our budget. I’m sorry, but we don’t have the money for this.”

“That’s why I’d get the money for it!”

“You can’t, Yuuma,” his sister snaps. “You can’t. You are in school and need to stay in school. You cannot be losing sleep over a card game, no matter how important it is to you. We don’t have the money for this, and frankly you don’t have the time.”

Yuuma slumps further in his chair. He tries to think of something snappy to say, maybe something Shark would use as a comeback, but nothing comes to his mind. He pushes back his dinner with a sigh and gets to his feet. “I’m not hungry anymore,” he tells his sister and grandmother. He heads up the stairs to his room, where he ascends higher into the attic. There, he nestles among his dad’s old adventure equipment. His parents aren’t missing anymore … just busy working. Adventurers don’t make quite the amount of money Yuuma once thought they did, and with Akari’s paycheck making ends meet is possible only if no one splurges.

Yuuma knows Akari is right, but at the same time he wants to prove her wrong. If he doesn’t have the money right now, he can find a way to get it. He’ll start looking for a part-time job tomorrow and work after school. He doesn’t do much homework anyways, so this extra job will only cut into his dueling time. Yuuma can live without that: he’ll be dueling in class.

Resolved, Yuuma spends the rest of the night dueling AIs on his computer until he passes out.

* * *

It’s 15.

The legal working age is 15. Yuuma had thought it was young, as he’d known tons of kids who worked in their parents’ shops. However, as Yuuma realises through his research with Kotori in the library, he’s a year too young to work legally. Kotori kindly points out to him that he can’t work _illegally_ because then he really will get in trouble, but Yuuma is unconvinced.

“There are tons of young kids working in their parents’ shops. That’s legal work.”

“They probably weren’t getting paid,” she reminds him. “That’s just called helping out.” She twirls a finger round her green hair and frowns. “What if you just helped out at the duel school? Is there any way you can work extra so you don’t have to pay that much?”

“I don’t know,” Yuuma moans. “The guy wanted tuition and that probably means money. Why can’t I just start asking people for money? I’ll even duel them.”

“Because you can’t just beg for money, and because what you’ll be earning from duels won’t cover even _half_ of this tuition. You need a job for this, but you need to be properly paid. Either that, or you volunteer at the duel school and hope they’ll consider it in lieu of your tuition.” She shrugs. “I’ve never been to one before, but if you want me to come with you one day, I can. What sorts of things are at the duel school?”

“Duels,” Yuuma says simply. At Kotori’s frown, he adds, “And like duel mechanics. We study how to Summon, how to chain effects, how to Special Summon.”

“You already know how to do that though,” Kotori says.

“They teach you the basics before they teach you the Advanced stuff. The students I met yesterday, Sakaki-kun and Hiiragi-chan, are in the same class as me and leagues above my level, and they’re learning the same thing too.” Yuuma leans forward on the desk. “Kotori, over there they have different Summoning methods. They don’t just Xyz Summon: there’s Pendulum, Fusion, and Synchro. I’m going to learn them all!”

Kotori nods. Yuuma catches her lost in thought and leans over the table until he is nose to nose with her. “Hey, what are you thinking about? Your face has gone all serious.”

She pushes him away with a chuckle. “Well, even if you aren’t good at everything, you’re still a great duelist. How about volunteering at the duel school?”

“As a teacher?”

“Yeah, to the younger kids. I bet they could all learn from a mentor just a few years older than them, and as an Xyz duelist you could be promoting your city’s Summoning method. You’ll be helping the teacher out too, and he’ll appreciate that. How does that sound?”

It sounds lovely. Yuuma can already imagine standing before a group of young children eagerly waiting for his advice. He’ll teach them the basics, even more basic than what Shuuzou is teaching, and then he’ll prime them for Xyz Summoning. As he learns more in class, he’ll pass it down to the other students. It can’t be any harder than learning at any other job, and he’ll be doing what he truly wants.

“I’ll ask him tomorrow,” Yuuma says. Then, “Thanks, Kotori.”

“Do you still want me to come with you?”

Yuuma shrugs. “It should be fine. He can’t make a fuss about me wanting to teach, and I can even ask him what else I can do to get in. There must be _something._ ”

“And if there isn’t?” Kotori asks.

“Well there has to be! I have to go to this duel school.” He presses his hands on the table and stares her down. “Kotori, this duel school could be my future. I’m going to be a duelist, and I’ll only get better with practice and experience. The least I can do is help myself before a stronger, smarter duelist like Shark and Kaito, and to do that I need to be in this duel school with Sakaki-kun and Hiiragi-chan.”

Kotori nods. “You’ve talked an awful lot about them. Are they your friends?”

“Yep! Classmates, too!” Yuuma holds one finger up. “Sakaki-kun is a Entertainment Pendulum duelist. He performs duels; he’s so active and bright, and his duels are like watching an acrobatic show.” He holds up a second finger. “Hiiragi-chan is a Fusion duelist. She’s just as strong as he is and far more ruthless in her strategies. They run professional decks and could probably be on the Asian dueling circuits if they wanted to.”

“And you beat them?”

Yuuma brushes her off. “Nah, I lost. It’s fine though; I’m only going to get better against Fusion and Pendulum duelists, right?”

“Right.” Kotori stretches her arms over her head and yawns. “It’s been a long day, hasn’t it, Yuuma?”

It has. Outside, Yuuma spot the sleepy sun poking out from the horizon, almost hidden by the buildings. The yellows and oranges drip across the skyline, and outside Yuuma feels a slight, evening breeze on his cheeks. This kind of freedom feels nice. Yuuma can imagine sitting on the train for the ride home from Maiami, face pressed to the windows to catch the last of the sunset. He’d get to see that beautiful sight ever day on his way home from duel school.

“I’m sure you’ll get into You Show,” she tells him, facing the falling sun.

“I will,” Yuuma says. “I’ll do anything to get to duel school.”

* * *

True to his word, the next day duel school is after class, and as soon as the bell rings Yuuma is up out of his seat and hurriedly rushing down the stairs. He pushes by his classmates milling through the hallways, and doesn’t bother to head to his locker because he has all he needs for class. As the bell has just rung, the wide, grassy courtyard is empty; Yuuma opens the gate and slips out without shoving past anyone.

Akari had told him that they couldn’t even afford bus passes, but Yuuma found his sister’s transit pass in her backpack and took it. His sister bikes and drives; she hasn’t stepped foot on a bus in months, and so Yuuma knows this pass will be better off with him. He makes it to the train station minutes before the Maiami Direct train arrives, and he squishes between the other adults heading into the major city.

Before Yuuma had left the house, he’d calculated where he needed to go and when he needed to get off. He’d made sure his sister’s pass was still valid, and with Kotori’s help she ensured him that he couldn’t get caught for using Akari’s card. What Yuuma _hadn’t_ remembered to check was the train ride. No matter how fast the train zips along the steel train line, Yuuma can’t help but think it would have been faster to walk or bike. He doesn’t remember it taking so long when he and Yuuya ran to school, but then again that had been a far more exciting trip than being squished between two businessmen on their way home from work.

He keeps checking his watch to make sure he’s not late yet.

When the train rolls into the station, Yuuma makes sure he is the first one off; he ducks under people’s feet and squeezes between them to clear a path for himself to run. The train station is a short distance from the duel school, separated by a large park where cherry blossoms are turned blue by the darkening sky.

Yuuma slips into the duel school moments before Shuuzou calls out attendance. Yuuma does not hear his name, and he and the teacher share a look before he catches Shuuzou mouth something. Yuuma doesn’t understand, but at that moment Yuuya appears in the class just in time for his name; he waltzes through the class and takes up a seat next to Yuzu, who appears to berate him for being late again.

When Yuuya spots him, he breaks out in a wide smile and waves him over. Yuuma quickly changes seats and, now next to Yuuya, whispers, “I beat you.”

“Not fair – I had to stay late after class and run here.”

“Oh, how come?”

Yuuya’s face goes as red as his hair. “Arranging my deck in class. We’ve gotta have our duel, right?”

Right, he’s dueling Yuuya today. Yuuma’s heart beats faster at the thought of dueling with an Entertainment duelist. He imagine himself as Yuuya’s comrade in dueling, the both of them spinning and dancing to the beat of their monsters’ attacks. It’s a moment Yuuma can’t imagine he’d ever forget.

“You brought the tuition?” Yuzu asks from behind Yuuya.

Yuuma nods, then bites his lip. “Sorta.”

Yuzu’s expression hardens. “What do you mean, ‘sorta’?”

“I mean, I brought a way for me to get tuition … but I don’t have it with me. I can’t work part-time until next year, and no one in my family will pay for me. But that doesn’t mean I can’t go – I’m gonna ask your dad if I can work here.”

Yuuma notices that Yuzu doesn’t seem sold on the idea. She chews on one finger and twirls her fingers in her pigtails, much in the same way Akari does. “That might work, but we’ve never had a student teacher before. Dad doesn’t need the extra help either; I already do some of the paperwork for him, and since he’s been doing this for years he’s a pro at it.” Yuuma pouts. “ _But,”_ she adds, “I can’t guarantee his response until we hear it from him. We’ll ask him together, OK?”

This response is far more satisfying to Yuuma. For the rest of the class, he settles back in his plastic chair and listens to Shuuzou talk about how Tribute Summons let you choose the battle position of one’s monster, and the pros and cons to choosing one position over the other. Yuuma doesn’t have any Tribute monsters, but when the class moves on to practical application in the duel arena, Yuuma is the first to the door.

“Tsukumo-kun,” Shuuzou says, “I’ll get you to wait here for just a moment. I’m going to set up the Real Solid Vision, and then I’ll be back to talk to you.”

Yuuma nods; pits form in his stomach. He catches Yuuya and Yuzu’s concerned looks, but he waves them off. He’s fine. The teacher’s going to ask about the money – and it’s not the first time someone’s asked him that – and he’s going to explain why he can’t afford duel school. Then he’ll offer a good solution and Shuuzou will appreciate his dedication.

He’ll get in.

Shuuzou opens the door to the classroom. He doesn't look upset, especially not in a flaming red tracksuit and sneakers with swooshes on them. He sits down next to Yuuma, in a chair that not minutes ago Yuuya was sitting in, and settles his hands on the desk. “So?”

Yuuma swallows. “So what?”

Shuuzou sighs. “My daughter and Yuuya already told me about your idea. You don’t need to tell me your story again; I’m sure you’ve told it to enough people already.” He places a hand on Yuuma’s shoulder, gently and reassuringly squeezing it. “I’m here to support you, kiddo. You want to teach – sure! LDS already offers extra-curricular courses specifically designed to support peer tutoring, and I think we could start that here too.”

Yuuma beams. “I can be a student teacher?”

“You can.” From his pocket Shuuzou pulls out a photograph of three young children beaming at the camera. It looks formal enough to be a school photo by how they’re sitting nicely on a bench before the cameraman, and one of the kids Yuuma recognises as a competitor in a recent junior youth tournament in Maiami.”

“These three kids come here every day to duel. Duel school is open all days if you want, but I only teach four days per week. The other days you can just come and test out your skills; Yuuya and Yuzu are usually here too, if you want to meet with them.” Shuuzou flips the paper back into his pocket. “If you want to be a teacher, you’ll need to be here each of those four days without fail. Their classes are earlier, so you can’t be late.”

“I won’t be!” Yuuma promises, eagerly shaking his head. “I can make it on time even with the train schedule.”

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

Yuuma shakes his head. “I’m from Heartland, just across the river. I can still make it though, and I’ll teach Xyz if you need me!”

“These kids are beginners; we haven’t even begun Pendulum Summons yet, though I do know that LDS already starts Advanced Summoning with its youngest children. We could start too, once they get more confident in attacking and defending equally.”

“I can teach them. I promise!”

“I’m glad to hear.” Shuuzou holds out a clipboard with several pieces of paper on it. “This is all for health, safety, confidentiality, and records. Yuzu will file it away safely when you’re done. You’ll need a signature though, so take this home with you and show it to an adult at home.”

Yuuma hopes his face doesn’t show his lie –- he can’t get Akari to sign this. He folds up the papers and tucks them into his pocket. With a deep sigh, Yuuma realises that it’s over. He’s in.

“Welcome to duel school, Tsukumo-kun,” Shuuzou says. “Come on, you got to class on time today so you can actually practice the skill.”

Skipping behind Shuuzou, Yuuma follows his teacher out of the classroom and into the duel room. With the students already practicing the new technique, the room is lively. Yuuma spots Yuuya and Yuzu engaged in a heated duel, with Yuuya scaling walls and swinging through the air to dodge each attack from Yuzu’s relentless monsters. When Yuuya goes on the offensive, his dragons roar to life, appearing to tear open the sky with their bright attacks. The room seems to buzz from the excitement, and it takes Yuuma a few moments to get past the first steps into the room simply because he can’t take everything in.

Yuzu spots him first gaping at their duel, and once she catches his attention she waves him over. “We’re almost done,” she says, “and then Yuuya’s been _dying_ to duel you. Honestly, all day yesterday he couldn’t stop talking about it. Better put on a show!”

The way she says it makes Yuuma’s cheeks warm. Yuuya was asking about him. And, now that Yuuma remembers back to his library conversations with Kotori, he was talking about Yuuya too. The thought of dueling someone so bright is a vivid wish to Yuuma that he’s desperate to achieve.

Within the next few minutes, Yuzu comes out victorious. She dusts off her hands proudly, but still happily shakes Yuuya’s hand and embraces him in a hug. “Good duel!” they tell each other.

Then Yuuya turns to Yuuma with bright, red eyes so similar to roses or tomatoes, or whatever else is red that Yuuma can think of. There’s passion behind Yuuya’s eyes as they face off across the duel field. Yuuma gets himself ready –

“Ladies and Gentlemen!”

Yuuma stumbles. Yuuya winks.

“Welcome to the long-awaited match between myself, valued Entertainment duelist and creator of Pendulum dueling, and Tsukumo Yuuma, Xyz duelist and Heartland’s esteemed champion! Tonight we’ll be facing off for a match that’ll leave you starstruck.” He spins around once, and the room seems to sparkle in multi-coloured lights. Slowing down, he extends a hand to Yuuma. “Ready to duel?”

Yuuma holds out his hand in a fist. “Ready!”

Dueling Yuzu is far different than dueling Yuuya. When Yuuma dueled Yuzu, he felt the buzz of the competition and the determination of her unwavering soul, and it pushed him to challenge her relentlessly. Dueling Yuzu had been a match of strengths and wit, about who had technique and skill. It was good-natured competition.

Dueling Yuuya is bliss. Their dueling field is turned into a spectacle by Yuuya’s performances; he dances while he duels, making each summon appear like a part of a great event. Some of his jokes are cheesy and his stage commands make Yuuma snicker, but he can’t help but let him fall into Yuuya’s rhythm. By the third time, Yuuma is calling out alongside Yuuya, jumping from side to side. The entire field is their stage.

The last time Yuuma remembers being this animated is with his final duel with Astral. Yuuma remembers dancing across the field alongside his monsters, performing a routine where only Astral could be his partner. Now, Yuuma wonders what it might be like to perform with Yuuya. The Entertainment duelist is already a natural artist; he’d lead Yuuma through even more complex routines. Dueling against Yuuya makes his heart beat faster, but dueling _with_ Yuuya? Having Yuuya next to him?

“Hey, are you daydreaming?” Yuuya calls out.

Yuuma shakes his head. He bring out a monster, Special Summons a second, then Xyz summons. A shimmer of white light envelops the Field as Hope descends from the sky.

“ _This_ is my ace monster,” Yuuma says. “Hope.”

“Hope?” Yuuya echoes. He smiles. “Then I best bring out my ace too.” And he does. In one grand swoop like a Pendulum on a track, Yuuya’s ace monster, Odd-Eyes, takes the field. If Kaito were here he’d probably be watching the duel by now, but Yuuma is still focused on Yuuya’s jumps and twists before he mounts his dragon. D-Gazers could only ever replicate the holograms of monsters; without LDS’ technology, no duelists have ever been able to touch their monsters. As Yuuya runs around on his dragon, Yuuma sneaks an opportunity to reach out and touch Hope. The metal is cool and slick on his fingers; he presses his hand to Hope’s leg and breathes.

_Have hope._

From the sidelines, Yuzu asks, “You’ve never touched a duel monster before, have you?”

“Well no,” Yuuma admits, flustered, “but that’s because Heartland doesn’t have this weird technology. Heartland just has its own magic.”

Yuuya races across the field. He takes aim and blasts Yuuma’s monster; even with his monster effect, Yuuya’s endless supply of Pendulum monsters and Pendulum Summons makes it impossible for Yuuma to keep out many monsters, and in the end he loses with Yuuya still at full LP. As the colours fade from the duel arena, Yuuma feels like he’s woken up from a magical dream. He lies across the floor, unable to get up from the intense feelings keeping his heart beating at top speed.

That was exhilarating.

“How was that?” Yuuya asks, standing in front of him and offering his hand.

“The best,” Yuuma says. His voice pitches up and he laughs outright. “That was _the best,_ Sakaki-kun!” He takes the proffered hand and gets to his feet. He holds onto Yuuya’s hand for a moment longer, and when he does break away it’s to clap Yuuya on the shoulder.

“We’ve got to duel again now! I’ve got to beat you!”

Yuuya laughs with him. “It’s not all about winning and losing though. My goal is to make people smile through dueling.”

Unabashed, Yuuma grins wider. “Dueling with you makes my heart beat faster!”

_That_ seems to shock Yuuya. He double-takes, nearly falling backwards, and when he composes himself, it’s with a bright blush. “Duels sure get you pumped, don’t they?” He says, rubbing at his hair. “Yuzu, what’s your take on it? You’re an expert on duels.”

To their side, Yuzu hmms and hahs. “Well,” she begins, “you, Yuuma, need to read your card effects. I can tell when a duelist has put new cards in their deck because they forget to use their abilities. Those are there for you to use to your advantage; before you shove them in your deck, you need to think how those card effects will benefit your deck.” She pauses to turn to Yuuya. “You, Yuuya, need to time your Summons. Don’t just Advance Summon because it’s flashy and cool. If you attack first with your lower-level, but still high-attack, monsters, you’ll do more damage than just Pendulum Summoning a higher-level monster that won’t be able to get as many hits on your opponent.”

They both chuckle and turn to each other. “Got it?” Yuuya asks. “The best advice you can get is from your close friends.”

Yuuma thinks about the advice Astral used to give him, or the advice Kaito and Shark now shout at him from across the field, often falling along the lines of, “Yuuma, use your trap card! I know you set it for a reason!” Advice from Yuuya and Yuzu seems beneficial, even if Yuuma now realises just how far beneath he is.

“You’re a great duelist,” Yuuya says, out-of-the-blue but looking straight at Yuuma. “Most Xyz duelists I’ve met don’t use as many trap cards as you, but that’s your strength. You can turn a situation around in a jiffy. Let’s practice some more, OK?”

For the rest of the afternoon, Yuuma switches on and off the Field, dueling against Yuuya and Yuzu, and once dueling both of them in a free-for-all match. He doesn’t stand a chance against either of them, but the competition is friendly enough that Yuuma tries not to mind being the first one eliminated for each round. He tries not to focus on Shuuzou standing across the Field, watching him lose time after time again. Yuuma stays strong; he makes valuable plays that still off-set Yuuya and Yuzu’s strategies. At the same time, his deck just doesn’t seem to work well against Pendulum monsters.

At five minutes to the end of class, Shuuzou blows his whistle and gathers them together. Yuuma gathers with the other students around the teacher, who shares what he’s noticed during this class and what he believes could be improved upon. He mentions that next week everyone should make sure to have a Ritual monster in their deck as they’ll be practicing Ritual Summoning.

“You have a Ritual card?” Yuuya whispers to him.

Yuuma shakes his head. “Not in this deck.”

“That’s fine. Shuuzou can lend you a deck if you need to practice, or if you need a card I have some.” Yuuya pauses. “Have you ever been around Maiami before?”

Yuuma shakes his head. He lives in Heartland, has gone to school in Heartland, and other than travelling through the galaxies with Astral, has never left his hometown. His sister talks about going across the bridge to Maiami, but even she dreads making the long trip.

“You should come on a day off from school. Here, I’ll give you my number and we can meet up sometime.” Yuuma hands over his D-Gazer, and after a quick look at it, Yuuya inputs his number. “There,” he says, passing it back, “now we can meet outside of duel school.”

Yuuma goes to nod, but his eyes catch on the darkening sky outside. He looks at the clock and frowns. Duel school is done at the correct time, but night is approaching far faster than Yuuma imagined.

“I have to go,” he says quickly. He makes to leave, and Yuuya’s heelies click.

“I can come with you!” he says, in much the same way Yuuma remembers Vector calling after him.

“I can make it home by myself,” Yuuma replies. “Promise, and I’ll call you if I get lost.”

Yuuya acquiesces. “See you soon, Tsukumo-kun!”

“See you later, Sakaki-kun!”  Yuuma waves back, arms wide. He heads back down the same streets which, while not as familiar because of the fading light, are still populated and lit enough that Yuuma feels safe in their presence. There are enough signs leading him to the train station that the trip is pleasant. At the train station, Yuuma stands among the many late-night workers and waits for the train. His eyes begin to feel heavy, and he rubs them with his fists. He’s not tired, but this is often the time where he’s crawling up to his room to duel or watch TV, not standing at the cold train station waiting for his train.

Determined, he rights himself. It doesn’t feel like a splash of cold water to his face, but it keeps his eyes open long enough for him to spot his train and hurry on. The inside of the coach is soft leather and chrome casing, and Yuuma tries to find a spot that’s not going to be cold or uncomfortable. Because it’s a later bus, he finds a seat towards the end of a car, and he tucks himself up and rests his head on his knees. He’s not going to fall asleep; he’s going to count his Duel Monsters cards and read their abilities like Yuzu suggested.

The train ride, however, is an hour long, and Yuuma soon feels himself growing bored of staring at his cards. His eyelids droop and he feels his head nod forward. Righting himself once again, he rolls his shoulders back and stretches his arms above his head. About half of the passengers in the train car are also asleep, with their heads nodded forwards or leaning back. Yuuma doesn’t think he’ll be able to wake up on a train car, so he forces himself to look out the window. When that doesn’t work, he texts Yuuya.

_Do you go to sleep early?_

It’s less than a minute before Yuuya texts back. _Not really, but I try to. Are you home?_

_Still on the train. It takes over an hour to get home, and your school runs late._ Yuuma pauses, then texts again, _Send me something funny to watch on my duel gazer._

Yuuya sends him a video he must’ve shot from his cell phone. Yuuma only recognises Yuzu, but the shot appears to be her and a blue-haired kid dueling on a stage. They’re immaculately dressed in fancy costumes, and _performing._ Yuuma watches them dance across the field, hand in hand, singing, as if dueling is a musical made for the stage. Yuuya’s also tagged it with a message: _My friends are artists born to take the stage._

Yuuma can’t imagine any of his friends performing. Shark is too socially awkward, and Kaito’s too mature, and the only people Yuuma can imagine taking up Entertainment Duel are Vector, Alit, and Kotori. Rio if he’s lucky.

_Your friends are so cool!_ Yuuma says. Then he pauses. _Want to see what my friends do?_

He has a video saved to his phone; Vector sent it to him one morning as a kind wake-up message. Yuuma doesn’t know what’s wrong with this video, but Shark had nearly strangled Vector upon learning that the other Barian had mass-texted everyone the cursed video.

So Yuuma sends it. Shark, in his shark-print pyjamas, watching a badly-subbed version of Sharknado on the TV can’t be that embarrassing to send to Yuuya.

_Your friend is awesome,_ Yuuya writes back. _We’ve got to meet up and duel sometime!_

By this point, the train is nearly at the station; Yuuma can see the fluorescent lights of Heartland through the tinted windows. Yuuma texts a quick goodbye and pockets his D-Gazer. When he hops off the train, the city outside of the station is black as night, and Yuuma sneaks through the shadowy streets back to his house. He knows Heartland like the back of his hand, but he still has to make sure at each signpost that he’s going in the right direction.

It’s approaching midnight when Yuuma spots his house. The lights are all off; Yuuma hopes no one checked his room to make sure he was sleeping. Quietly, Yuuma scales the side of his house, using the windows as footholds up to his room. When he makes it to the window, he has to unlock it by balancing on the gutters. He inches the window open just enough for him to slip inside, and then he tumbles soundlessly to his bedroom floor. Yuuma has done this act enough times for his sister and grandmother to never hear him, but he still peers around his room to see if they’ve heard him.

Satisfied that no one had heard him, he slips quietly into bed. His D-Gazer pulses with one unread message, and with the last of his strength Yuuma opens it and gazes blearily at the screen.

_Good night, Tsukumo-kun!_

He falls asleep with a smile on his face.


	3. I'm Teaching?! The Chance of a Lifetime

Yuuma feels something nudge him ever so slightly on the arm. He shifts away from it, mumbling a tired excuse. His head feels like there are clouds blowing inside it, and if he could sleep for maybe fifteen more minutes he’d be awake enough to listen to whatever his teacher is blabbering about.

He hadn’t slept more than a few hours last night because, as soon as he’d gotten home, his mind has whirred through thoughts and ideas about new dueling strategies until well-into the morning. His sister had come in that morning and shaken him awake.

“Yuuma, wake up!” When he had tried to bury under the covers, she’d said, “What’d you do, stay up late? You dork.”

He’d only been a few minutes late for class, but now that he’s near-asleep on his desk, Yuuma wonders if perhaps he should have taken the extra hour to rest and miss his first period. With a yawn, he lifts his head and peers blearily at the virtual board. He’s not even sure what he’s supposed to be looking at, but it’s probably more helpful for him to keep his eyes open.

He catches Kotori shooting him worried glances from his right, and Vector and Alit, who sit ahead of him, look over their shoulders at his glazed expression. Yuuma doesn’t have the strength in him to tell them why, but by second period he is more alert and able to watch his teacher doodle on the board.

A note is shoved across his desk. Yuuma lifts his head, startled, and stares at the paper. Alit never writes notes in class, unless he’s sending off well-meaning love letters, and Kotori pays attention in class, so it has to be Vector. Yuuma discreetly opens it up. Vector has drawn a picture of him passed out on the desk, hastily scribbled and with most of the focus placed on Yuuma’s red cheeks and the big ‘z’s above his head.

 _Sleep well, Princess,_ is written underneath.

Yuuma takes his pen and scribbles back a reply. _I’m not sleeping - and how can you even tell? You’re supposed to be looking forward._

He shoves the note against Vector’s back, who reaches behind him to take it between two freckled fingers. At once Yuuma sees him write back, and soon there is excitement to the class. Vector pays even less attention in class than Yuuma, and somehow never gets caught. Sure enough, the note is pushed across his deck again. Yuuma scoops it up and peers inside; next to him, Kotori sighs and pretends she doesn’t see Yuuma passing notes with Vector.

 _I have eyes in the back of my head,_ Vector says. And then beneath it, _Did you get into some “fun” last night?_

Yuuma doesn’t even want to _ask_ what Vector means by fun; however, it can’t hurt to tell Vector about the duel school, so Yuuma draws it for him: a tall, futuristic building with several floors, and a large, oval-shaped room at the pinnacle. Then he passes it back to Vector.

The reply he receives is quick: _Is that Kaito’s house?_

Yuuma sighs. _No, that’s my duel school. I’m teaching and studying there_

 _Boring,_ is all Vector says, and he stops sending messages. Yuuma wonders if it’s perhaps ‘for the best’ since at that time the teacher hands out a small group activity, and if Yuuma had been writing secret notes to Vector his teacher surely would have seen. Then Yuuma would have been called out in class, and Yuuma hears that enough. It doesn't help that his mind won’t focus _at all_ today; whatever the lesson today is about, Yuuma can’t bother paying attention to it. He is much more focused on writing with Vector.

At lunch time, Yuuma is the first student out of his seat to grab his lunch. He’s starving despite having eaten several small meals already, and what his grandmother packed surely will taste delicious.

When he looks up from his first bite, Vector is staring at him.

“Duel school?” he asks, letting the sounds roll off his tongue. He bites into a sandwich, something from the convenience store that smells heavenly, and chews with his mouth open. “We don’t have any of those in Heartland.”

“We do,” Kotori objects, “but it’s only one and it’s a private school for high school students. We don’t even qualify for it.”

“Fine,” Vector says. He looks at Yuuma, eyes narrowed. “And how did you manage to get into such a prestigious school?”

Yuuma chuckles and scratches the back of his head. “To be honest, I’m not at that Heartland school. I didn’t even know there was such a thing here too. But over in Maiami City there’s dozens of them, and I’m going to the prestigious You Show Duel School - _and_ I’m teaching there too!”

Vector does not seem impressed. “How come I’ve never heard of it?”

“Maybe because it’s from Maiami?” Yuuma suggests.

That perks Alit’s ears up: Yuuma knows out of all his friends that Alit has been across the bridge several times to go shopping. “You’re going to school over there?”

“And teaching,” Yuuma says. “It’s not that long of a train ride, and I can organise my deck on the way there.”

“Is that why you’re so tired?” Kotori says. “You came home late from classes?”

“Just a bit,” Yuuma admits. “But it’s fine, Kotori! Please don’t worry!” He leans over the desk at her. “My sister and grandmother can’t know I’m going to duel school at all, so you have to keep this a secret with me.”

“You’re keeping secrets from your family?” She glares at him and sets down her chopsticks. “Yuuma, why is that a secret? Why can’t you just tell them the truth?”

“Because they don’t want me going to school. They want me to focus on _this_ boring school and not have any fun.” He sighs. “I don’t know, but if my sister finds out, she’ll hang me from a telephone pole by my underwear, and I don’t need that. You have to keep this a secret from my family, OK? All of you can’t say a word about it.”

“You don’t think your family will catch on?” Vector asks. “Your family might be of human intelligence, but they’re not stupid. They’ll catch on why you’re coming home late and dreading staying awake.”

“No they won’t. Not if I keep it well-hidden from them.”

“And what if they do?” Alit asks. “What are you going to tell your family?”

Yuuma doesn’t know. If Astral or Kaito or Shark were around, they might have given him some grown-up advice. However, Astral is in another world, Kaito is across town, and Shark is in a different class. None of them can help him, which leaves Yuuma with Kotori and the Barians that are his age. Yuuma doesn’t think any of them would have any good advice to confront his family while also keeping him in duel classes.

“Ah hah, well I’ll just make something up then.”

“That probably isn’t going to work, Yuuma,” Kotori says, crossing her arms. “ If you’re falling asleep in class today, just imagine what you’ll be like next week? You’ll be a walking zombie.”

Yuuma huffs and mimics her pose. “I will _not._ I really want to go to this duel school, and I’ll find a way to make it work. I can sleep on the train rides there, and on days when I don’t have both schools, I can get some extra sleep. Plus it’s not like I need to sleep _all day_. I’ll be fine.”

Kotori doesn’t seem convinced, but she drops the conversation and finishes up her bento. The rest of the lunchtime chatter flows easily between the four of them. Vector shows them a new card trick he learned off a YouTube video, and Yuuma tries to mimic it just so he can show Yuuya later on. Alit talks about his latest club he’s joined, archery, and how complex holding a bow and arrow is. Yuuma imagines himself dressing up in costume for an Entertainment duel, perhaps being a knight or archer or mage instead of last year’s silly Tenten Tempo costume.

As the lunch period wanes and they take up their seats again for their final classes, Yuuma takes note of how all his thoughts seem to draw back to Sakaki Yuuya. He wonders what Yuuya is doing right now in his classes - does he pay attention to his teachers, or does he daydream? Yuuma wonders if Yuuya knows any magic tricks that might impress his classmates, or if Yuuya has any special abilities that will wow Yuuma. Yuuma even wonders if Yuuya is thinking of him.

His thoughts linger for so long that Yuuma barely registers the clock striking 3 pm, and he hurries to grab his things. He spots Kotori and Vector giving him sidelong glances, but he brushes them aside. When the teacher has his back turned to write a note on the chalkboard, Yuuma slips on his backpack and sneaks out the door. In the hallway, there are no students roaming nearby, and so Yuuma doesn’t have to worry about getting caught out of class. He walks to the end of the hallway and then skips down the stairs to the first floor, where there is a wide door leading out to the front courtyard.

Outside, Yuuma runs the length of the courtyard and takes the gate out. He wishes he brought his bike, but he still makes it to the train station in record time. Standing on the platform, Yuuma takes several deep breaths as he waits for the Maiami Line. It’s less busy at this hour; when he boards the chrome train, Yuuma appreciates not having to squeeze himself between passengers for a seat. He takes a seat towards the back where it is quieter and he can sleep. However, the moment the train lurches forward Yuuma’s eyes snap open and he glances around.

He is awake.

His mind spins circles that won’t quit. Yuuma doesn’t want to call it an impulse, but it’s a nagging in the back of his head to _do_ something. Maybe not quite anything, but _something_ that’s not this.

Yuuma leans his head back against the seat and sighs. He’s tired, but not tired enough to sleep. He’ll get there.

To pass the time, Yuuma texts Yuuya: _you in class?_

It’s less than a minute before Yuuya replies. _Not really … but I’m not paying attention anyways._

 _I’m teaching today,_ Yuuma says. _If you have a chance, come watch me._

_I’ll try._

That sounds like a ‘yes’ to Yuuma.

Once he exits the train and makes it down the big stairs of the station, Maiami City seems to swallow him. Yuuma struggles to remember the way to class, and his ticking watch jumps forward more and more with each time he checks it. Yuuma thinks he’ll be late until he spots You Show Duel School at one of his turns, and he nearly skips with glee up the pathway and to the front door.

Shuuzou is already waiting for him at the entrance, dressed in a crisp, orange vest and dark jogging pants. He waves Yuuma over when he spots him. “You made it, Tsukumo-kun! Perfect! Now, in a few moments we’ll head off to your class so you can start teaching –”

“By myself?” Yuuma interrupts.

“Gosh no,” Shuuzou says. “I’ll still be there, but you’ll be doing the teaching, even on your first day. I want to see what you can do.” Shuuzou sighs. “But I’m not leaving you on your own, kid. You’ve got guts doing this for me.”

Yuuma feels his heart grow a bit lighter.

Shuuzou holds out a stack of papers to him. “These juniors are still learning about ATK and DEF positions. Today we’ll be studying what happens when a monster in DEF position is attacked by an opponent's monster. They’re getting confused by this rule, so we’ll go over it. Makes sense?”

Yuuma breathes a sigh of relief; it does. He can teach something this basic, especially to a bunch of elementary schoolers. The papers in his hands are simple worksheets to use as visual reminders for the children. There aren’t many sheets, which Yuuma takes to mean that there won’t be many students in his class. He leafs through one, two, three –

“Is this it?” Yuuma asks. “Only three students?”

Shuuzou nods. “Most students join at the junior youth level. These students are just dedicated duelists who’ve begun honing their skills early. They like Yuuya and my daughter, so I have no doubt that they’ll like you too.”

Yuuma thinks so too. He crunches the papers in his hands in excitement. Shuuzou points it out, and Yuuma blushes scarlet and tries to uncrinkle them.

He’s going to be a teacher.

His own teacher leads him down the hallway, into the same classroom that Yuuma sat in yesterday. The desks are in the same place, but rather than being filled by dozens of students his age, there are only three young children sitting on top of the desks chatting happily to one another: two boys and one girl. The two boys attempt to share the one desk, with the smaller, blue-haired boy nearly crumpling off the desk by the taller, rounder boy who has even spread his legs wide to take up the most of the desk. Across from them, the girl laughs, kicking her feet back and forth. All three of them look up when the door opens.

“Coach!” they shout, and then they look past Shuuzou at Yuuma with wide eyes.

“Who’s that?” the blue-haired boy asks. He twirls his hair around his finger and leans his head to the side. “Is he a duel student?”

“He is,” Shuuzou says. “He’s going to be helping me teach this class. This is Tsukumo Yuuma-kun.”

“Another big bro,” the girl says, and her eyes seem to glitter with an inside joke that Yuuma certainly won’t get. He blushes nonetheless and eagerly sticks out his hand.

“Tsukumo Yuuma, Heartland’s elite duelist,” he says.

The students believe him: their eyes glow bright, and the tallest child even leans forward to stare at Yuuma.

“Futoshi,” he says, “and if you’re an elite duelist, how come you’re still in school?”

Yuuya blinks, surprised. “ _Well,_ ” he says, “all duelists need practice and experience, and what better way to learn that to teach –”

The girl seems to have caught onto her friend’s train of thought. “Ayu,” she says by way of introduction. “But coach said you’re also a student, so that means you’re learning too. Can you be a top-level duelist and still need practice?”

“Of course you can,” Yuuma says. He takes a deep breath as if he is preparing for an important speech. “All of us need to learn.”

The students seem content with this response. The third child, Tatsuya, looks from Yuuma to Shuuzou. When Yuuma only looks away from the child’s gaze, he asks, “Well, what are you teaching us today, Big Bro?”

Yuuma rights at once and stumbles up to the front of the class, once again crunching the paper between his hands. He’s not nervous; he just doesn’t really know what to say, or how to teach, and Yuuma’s never paid enough attention to his own teachers to have a clear role model in his mind. So he does what feels right: he sits on top of the desk before the children and asks, “If you attack a monster in defense position, what happens?”

Tatsuya replies, “It gets sent to the graveyard, unless it’s got a monster effect.”

“Always?” Yuuya asks, looking at each of them.

“Always,” Ayu says, but she chews her lip and looks away. “I mean, there might be something that stops it, like a monster effect.”

Yuuma nods. “Anyone else? What about a monster with higher attack? What happens?”

“They die,” Futoshi says, at the same time as Tatsuya says, “Attack points don’t matter if a monster is in defense position.”

Yuuma nods in agreement. He leads them through an exercise involving various cards being attacked while in defense mode to prove his point. It seems to make sense to each of the children, until it comes to their turn to figure out the problems on the sheets Yuuma passes out. At once, any information he thought they’d learned through the discussion is out the window with questions that Yuuma can’t manage to answer: “How come we don’t worry about attack points?” “What if the defense points are the same?” “Are there spell cards to make your defense higher?”

“Sure,” Yuuma says to each one, and he catches Shuuzou’s eyes on him.

After the third hairpulling question from Tatsuya about raising one’s defense points, Shuuzou steps in. Yuuma’s heart sinks, and it shows on his face when he leans down on the desk glumly and stares at his students who happily listen to their coach as he walks them through an exercise that explains how defense points should be the only thing to focus on for the defending monster, and how attack points are still relevant to the attacking monster. This makes much more sense to the children.

When Shuuzou is done explaining, Yuuma marches back up to the front of the class. “Any more questions?” he asks, even though it’s unlikely he’ll be able to answer every single one. To his surprise, the students seem content with his and Shuuzou’s teachings and they shake their heads.

“Well,” Yuuma says, dragging out his words. “Should we practice then? You can’t learn until you try it out for yourself?”

Ayu and Futoshi jump off the desks, eager to begin; Tatsuya lingers behind, kicking his feet back and forth. Yuuma tries not to dwell on anyone’s uneasiness as he leads the three children out of the classroom where Shuuzou has already opened up the duel room and started the Solid Virtual Reality system. With only the four of them in the large room, Yuuma thinks of what he can do that will take up _space._

“OK everyone!” he says. “We’re going to do a 3 vs. 1 duel; you all against me. I’m going to put my monsters in defense position, and you’re going to take turns attacking. Let’s see what you’ve got!” And with a cheer, Yuuma sets a monster.

Ayu goes first. She draws, her arm creating an arc from her duel disk, and she glances briefly at her monster before calling out, “I Special Summon Aquaactress Guppy in defense position!”

Yuuma frowns. “Why defense position?”

She stumbles, cheeks growing red from embarrassment. “I was going to attack with my defense points, but …”

“It happens,” Yuuma says in an attempt to cheer her up.  It doesn’t help, so he adds, “This is why we’re practicing now, so that way all of us can learn from each other and get better together. There’s no point in learning on your own when your friends are who can teach you best! Now Futoshi, it’s your turn!”

With a cry of “Shivers!”, Futoshi spins in a circle to draw. Whatever monster he’s drawn must have been a good one because his face lights up. “Come on out, Doodle Beast - Steggo!” A large, paper cutout of a stegosaurus takes the field; its body is covered in hasty scribbles. “Attack his facedown card!” Futoshi cries.

The monster charges forward and spikes Yuuma’s facedown card with its spike. The card flips up, revealing Gagaga Gardna. Futoshi’s Steggo disappears from the attack, and the three children are stunned.

“Quiz time!” Yuuma shouts, holding a finger up. “Was it Gardna’s attack or defense that killed Steggo?”

The children pause for a second before Tatsuya replies, “Defense points because Gardna was in defense mode.”

“Correct! Now that you know what the monster is and how high your attack needs to be to defeat it, are you up to it? Can you do it, Tatsuya?”

Tatsuya flinches. “I don’t know,” he murmurs, but when he draws Yuuma notices how his expression hardens. He spends several seconds debating his hand cards before he sets his cards down. “Your monster’s attack is too high. I don’t know how to bypass that.”

The comment makes Yuuma blush, and he realises that none of the students might be able to win against him. “Well,” he replies, “since this is just a practice session, show me your hand and we’ll see what we can do.”

Tatsuya holds out his hand. Ayu and Futoshi don’t seem to notice any plays either, but what confuses Yuuma is the one card in his hand labelled ‘tuner monster’. Yuuma’s never heard of those before, though the name vaguely rings a bell; he must’ve heard it from Yuuya and Yuzu. However, Yuuma can’t even begin to imagine how to play a Tuner monster, and nowhere on the card does it say anything about what the card can do. He senses the coach’s eyes on him.

“I’ve stumped you all, my bad. Here, let me get you to attack a different monster.” Yuuma sets another monster. This time, Ayu switches her Guppy to attack position. Yuuma expects her to attack, and he cringes at her low-attack monster attacking one of his lowest defense monsters. However, before she attacks she activates the Field spell card Aquarium Set which raises her monsters’ ATK and DEF, and so when she attacks Yuuma’s facedown card Gagaga Caesar is sent to the graveyard.

His students cheer. “We beat you, big bro!”

“You did!” Yuuma replies. “Ayu, what made you think to use that card? Did you have it before?”

“I did,” she answers, cheeks tinged red, “but I figured that my monster would fare better if it had a higher attack – and if I hadn’t, my monsters would’ve been sent to the Graveyard as well.”

“Right!” Yuuma answers. “If you can, boost up your monster’s ATK.”

“Even if attacking a defense monster won’t do any damage to your opponent?” Futoshi asks.

“If it’s Field magic, it won’t do any harm to use it earlier. In other cases, it depends on the play. But we’ll focus on that for another time.” Yuuma looks at his watch. It’s been close to an hour, and his class is almost over. “Any last questions?” he asks his students.

Yuuma is content to see them all satisfied with his teaching. He waves goodbye to each of them, and once they’re out the door and heading back home, Yuuma turns to his teacher. He expects Shuuzou to be ready to instruct him now on how he can improve, but instead Shuuzou claps him on the shoulder with a warm smile.

“Good job today, Tsukumo-kun! The kid’s really like your teaching, and they benefited from this hands-on learning.  Most of them don’t have many opportunities to duel because no one's willing to duel a young child at the park, so I bet they loved to have a hands-on duel with you.” With one final squeeze on his shoulder, Shuuzou releases him and stretches his arms above his head. “You’ve got about fifteen minutes until class starts, but I bet Yuuya and Yuzu are already at their seats.”

Yuuma beams. “Thanks, teach!”

Sure enough, Yuzu and Yuuya are at their seats. Yuuma sits down next to Yuzu and greets her with a bright smile.

“Hi there, Tsukumo-kun! Dad told me today was your first day of teaching. How’d it go?”

“It was great,” Yuuma answers. “I taught them about attacking monsters in defense position..”

Yuuya chuckles. “Ayu always gets so confused about whether or not she can attack in defense position or not, but she’s determined to be a top duelist. Her parents are so proud of her achievements too - they’ll love to hear that you taught her today, Tsukumo-kun!”

Yuuma hopes what he’s taught the kids will stick with them for next class. “I think so too, Sakaki-kun!”

As the class fills up, Yuuma takes a look around to see his other classmates. Most of them seem older than him, perhaps because he’s the youngest in the junior youth division, but they also seem gruffer and more mature. Yuuuma assumes they’re well-versed in multiple summoning methods and have competed before. In fact, everyone seems like they’re a peg above him.

“What’s a Tuner monster?” Yuuma asks Yuzu. “Tatsuya had a card with that word on it, and I didn’t know what it was.”

“Tuner monsters are for Synchro Summoning,” she answers. “You need that card plus a non-Tuner card to Synchro Summon a high-level monster. It’s like a unique Advance Summon.”

Yuuma recognises the word Synchro from his previous classes. It’s the one Summoning method he’s yet to duel against, and now that he knows what it is, Yuuma itches to duel again a Synchro duelist. Shark would probably be interested to learn about the different Summoning methods too, and if Yuuma told everyone he bested a Fusion or Synchro or Pendulum duelist, then he’d surely be praised by everyone as Heartland’s best duelist.

“Does anyone here use Synchro?” he asks.

“A Synchro duelist? Well, there’s my friend Gongenzaka, but he doesn’t go to school here. Reiji knows how to too.” Yuuya shrugs. “If you were around when Yuugo and Rin were here, they’d be able to show you a great duel! Yuugo would probably challenge you to a duel then and there.” The memory brings a smile to Yuuya’s lips.

“Are they not in this class too?” Yuuma asks.

Yuzu nods, but there’s a wariness to her eyes that Yuuma catches. “They went home last year.”

 _So they weren’t from Maiami either,_ Yuuma decides. Yuuma tries to ask them more about Rin and Yuugo, but Shuuzou enters the class at the moment and brings the conversations to a close. He begins the lesson with an introduction to Advance Summoning using two Tributes, something Yuuma compares to Xyz summoning. However, this summoning method doesn’t require two monsters with the save level, saving non-Xyz decks the hassle of worrying about similar levels. Yuuma thinks he’ll practice Xyz summoning instead, but Shuuzou holds several small decks aloft.

“These are training decks,” he explains. “I want to see everyone trying to Advance Summon today; no competitive dueling. We all need to focus on honing our skills before we challenge each other to matches.” Yuuma tries not to think the conversation is aimed at him. Next to him, Yuuya seems to be thinking the same way with his eyes up to the ceiling and a smile on his lips.

On the duel field, Yuuma finds that Advance Summoning with two Tributes is far harder than Xyz summoning. For one, he and Yuuya are competitive as ever and keep attacking each other’s monsters before the other one can Tribute them both, and two because his high-level monster doesn’t seem worth the Summon. Yuuma keeps forgetting to Advance Summon until Shuuzou catches him.

“Practice, Tsukumo-kun! You can duel after class.”

After class? Yuuma turns to Yuzu. “We can duel after class?”

“Technically yes, but it’ll be late at night, and you have to go home –”

“I’ll be fine,” Yuuma interrupts. “We should duel after class.”

“I guess we can,” she says, “but really, Tsukumo-kun, won’t you be tired?”

“I can’t turn down a duel though.”

However, as the night wears on, Yuuma feels his mind grow hazy. By the time class ends, his eyes feel heavy with sleep and he looks forward to a nap on the train. “I can still duel,” he argues, but Yuzu hears none of it.

“You’re tired, Tsukumo-kun, and you won’t be a very good duelist if you’re half-asleep on the field. I’ll duel you this weekend when neither of us have class. Here, give me your cell phone and I’ll put my number in it.” Yuuma hands over his cell-phone; when she returns it, there’s a new contact – Hiiragi Yuzu – punched into his phone. “You can text that number too if you’re going to be late and I’ll pass the message on to my dad.”

“I won’t ever be late!” Yuuma promises, swaying on his feet.

Yuuya chuckles. “Here, Tsukumo-kun, I’ll walk you to the train station today. I don’t have anything to do tonight, and it’s a great night out to enjoy the fresh air.”

Yuuma doesn’t argue; spending time with Yuuya sounds like a bliss. They both wave goodbye to Yuzu, who tells them that she needs to help her dad with some paperwork tonight. “Speaking of which,” she adds before she leaves, “Yuuma, I need your paperwork. You need an adult to sign it; they’ll be your emergency contact if something bad happens, not that that has ever happened before.”

“Sure!” Yuuma says. If it’s any adult, he’ll go ask Kaito for his signature.

With matters resolved, he and Yuuya head to the streets. The night is crisp; Yuuma tugs his jacket around his body and gazes around at the dusky sky hiding the stars. Next to him, Yuuma spins his pendulum necklace around and around.

“What’s that?” Yuuma asks.

“This?” he says, lifting his necklace up for Yuuma to see. “My dad gave this to me. It’s a pendulum. When you swing it back and forth, it represents how you’re always supposed to take a step forward and try your best. If you put all your strength and energy into something, you’ll do well.” Yuuya laughs. “That doesn’t always happen, I know that, but it’s a nice sentiment. If I do my best, luck will reward me.”

Yuuma watches it swing from side to side, watching how the moonlight catches on the crystal. “Iss that what Pendulum monsters come from?

Yuuya laughs. “It’s the inspiration. Pendulum monsters go on a scale, and so you Summon monsters between those scales. Those monsters come back no matter what. This means I can Summon those same monsters even after they’re defeated. We’ll have to duel together this weekend too and I can show you just how awesome Pendulum monsters are.”

Yuuma thinks he can win. Sure, Yuuya has his Pendulum monsters and special knowledge, and Yuuya apparently knows how to Xyz and Fusion _and_ Synchro Summon too, but that doesn’t mean anything to Yuuma who has his kattobingu.

He wonders if Yuuya believes in kattobingu too. The power of his crystal sounds like it but with a mediocre name.

The two of them travel at a slower pace than Yuuma would normally take and they stroll through the lit streets. Maiami City is quieter at night than Heartland, which has more clubs and late-night events that Yuuma’s never been allowed to visit, and the silence acts as a gentle blanket that lulls the peaceful town. Yuuma’s mind thinks up ways he could’ve dueled better and strategies he should remember for next time; it doesn’t stop spinning until Yuuya begins talking and Yuuma can focus on his friend’s voice.

“What’s it like in Heartland?” he asks.

“You haven’t been?” Yuuma asks, missing the question.

“I’ve been, but not in a while, and I think it was a different part of Heartland than you’re from.”

There aren’t many districts of Heartland despite it being a central city, but Yuuma doesn’t question it. “All my friends live in Heartland and most of them go to school, except Kaito who works in his lab all day with his partner and his robot and his robot’s partner. And then I go to school with lots of Xyz duelists and they’re all my friends too. I don’t know if anyone of them would come, except maybe Kotori or Vector, but …” Yuuma laughs. “You’d like my friends.”

Yuuya laughs. “How come?”

“They’re just nice. I get lucky to meet such kind people all the time.”

Yuuya slows down even more to a pace that Yuuma struggles to stay in line with. “Tsukumo-kun,” he says, glancing up at the stairs, “we should hang out sometime before class. Maybe even before our duel with Yuzu.”

“That sounds awesome!” Yuuma has spent time with Kotori before class before, and several times he’s snuck off to Shark’s class and peered inside the third year classroom. “We should go somewhere before class, like to a park or to the beach or to the arcade! Somewhere that the two of us can do something together!”

With the moonlight dusting Yuuya’s hair, he exclaims, “The arcade! You _have_ to come to the newest one in Maiami City! Yuzu, Sora, and I went last week and there’s many, many games! You could even bring your friends too; bring anyone who’d like to play at an arcade!”

Kotori, Shark, Vector, Alit. Maybe Shark _or_ Vector since neither of them get along.

“I’ll make sure someone comes,” Yuuma responds. “Promise!”

They arrive at the train station, which is blissfully quiet with only a few passengers occupying the nearby benches. Yuuma looks around, then back at Yuuya. “You’ll be at school tomorrow?”

Yuuma nods. “I’m teaching before class too, so you can come see me too.”

“I’ll see if I can get out of class early to come see you!” Yuuya replies. “My class gets out later than the elementary schoolers’, so I only have enough time to make it just before class starts. Which reminds me” – he taps his chin in contemplation – “how do you make it to You Show on time?”

“I get out of class early.” Yuuma shrugs. “The teacher didn’t catch me today, and it’s not like I was learning much anyways. I don’t think anyone else will skip class with me except Vector though, so I’ll bring my friends on the weekends.”

From down the track Yuuma spots a bright light shining through the station. The train rumbles closer in the dead of night and hisses as it slows before the station. Turning back to Yuuya, Yuuma says, “I’ll see you later, Sakaki-kun!” He holds his fist out wide, and Yuuya stumbles back like he’s going to punch him. “It’s a fist bump. Vector does it all the time.” Vector also punches people, but Alit does this too and to Yuuma it’s a kind gesture.

Yuuya stares at his fist for a moment, and then happily pulls back and connects their fists with a firm bump. “See you later, Tsukumo-kun!”

Yuuma gives Yuuya one quick smile before he hurries onto the train, heading to the back towards his normal sleeping spot. He catches Yuuya waving through the windows, and he waves back even though Yuuya might not be able to see him. When the train pulls away, Yuuma’s eyes are already closed.

In his dreams, he imagines himself lying beneath the bluest sky and nestled within the greenest grass. Above him a pendulum swings back and forth to the beat of his gentle breaths. With each swing of the pendulum, Yuuma’s mind eases. His body is lulled to a gentle sleep; when he wakes, it’s to the rocking of the train car and the warm feelings in his mind. On his cell phone Yuuma notices two new text messages, one from Yuzu and one from Yuuya.

_Yuzu: have a great day at class tomorrow! Can’t wait to see you and duel against you this weekend! Bring your A-game because my Melodious monsters will be going all out again you!_

_Yuuya: can’t wait to see you this weekend! Will send details later! Have a great day at school!_

Yuuma hugs his phone to his chest. His eyes feel heavier than a gong, but his heart feels light as a feather.

Duel school is the best choice he’s ever made.


	4. Barians vs. You Show? The Excitement of Tag-Team Dueling!

On the day before duel class, Yuuma bikes to Kaito’s house. The ride is long considering Kaito lives in inner Heartland City and Yuuma lives in the suburbs, but being on the bike wakes him up and clears his head. Yuuma feels the wind on his arms and the chill on his cheeks, and he pedals through the streets and into the city centre. Traffic has already backed up and down the main routes, so Yuuma on his pedal-bike zips by everyone. Akari had suggested he take the subway, but Yuuma doesn’t want to spend all morning underground and crammed between exhausted salarymen. Yuuma would much prefer to enjoy the sun and dew and early morning sleepiness that clogs the minds of Heartland’s citizens.

Kaito’s house is located at the upper portion of the Heartland Tower, the tallest skyscraper in the city with a large, heart-shaped build balanced precariously on its base. Yuuma spots the tower ages before he makes it to the gates of Heartland, and the looming structure stays in his line of vision until he arrives at the entrance. Kaito knows he’s coming today, but Yuuma still has to check himself in through the main office and hurry up the spiral staircases to the living quarters.

Unlike Yuuma’s cosy house, Kaito’s penthouse has two sides to it. The main living quarters are spotless; everything appears to have its designated position and not a single piece of furniture is out of place. The couches are arranged before a silver coffee table, upon which several science and history books are placed as centrepieces. The kitchen overlooks the living room, complete with a small bar area. The counters are bare, the cupboards closed; it doesn’t even look habitable. Exiting from the kitchen is a staircase that leads both up and down: up are the sleeping rooms, and down is the laboratory. Yuuma peers up the stairs, but chooses to head downstairs in case Kaito is in his study.

He is, though Yuuma can barely spot him over the disarranged papers and equipment that burst from every corner of the room and spill over the floor, desks, and any other surface nearby. If Kaito’s living room is the epitome of a ‘clean house’, then Kaito’s lab is a catastrophe. Yuuma narrowly avoids a tipping shelf stacked with heavy books and equipment, behind which he spots Chris reading something off a tablet.

“You read it from this article?” Chris asks. “Are you sure? I don’t see anything –”

“No other author is more hairbrained than Dr. Akaba,” Kaito snarls from somewhere else in the room, and somewhere that Yuuma can’t see from his position in the entryway. The lights are dimmed softly in the room to cast a gentle glow on Chris. He paces back and forth in the room until he spots Yuuma.

“Yuuma!” he greets. “Come on in! Please don’t mind the mess – Kaito and I are just cleaning up.”

Yuuma steps forward; around the corner from another tipping bookshelf Yuuma spots Kaito, back to both of them and wearing both a long, white trench coat and a pair of fuzzy, black slippers. He looks over his shoulder and pushes several strands of green hair from his eyes; the rest of his hair droops sideways as if it still needs a proper wash and comb-through.

“Yuuma, what are you doing here?”

Fishing the paper from his pocket, Yuuma says, “I need an adult to sign something, and, well, you’re an adult.”

Chris chuckles. “Most days.”

Yuuma holds the paper out first to Kaito, and then to Chris. “I only need one signature.”

Gently, Chris takes the paper from Yuuma’s hands. He looks over it with him bottom lip caught between his teeth, and doesn’t hand it back for several minutes. Yuuma jumps from foot to foot during that time, interrupting several times to ask, “Do you have questions? I can tell you all about my school.”

“School?” Kaito asks as his partner reads. “You couldn’t ask your sister or grandmother about this sort of thing?”

Yuuma shakes his head. “It’s a duel school, and they don’t want me to go because it’s in _Maiami_ and because it’s after school, and there’s probably some other reasons too. _But,_ the teacher says I just need an adult signature who can act as my emergency contact, and you’re an adult! If you sign for me, I can keep going to the classes!”

“We’re not your legal guardians though –”

“It doesn’t matter,” Yuuma answers. “The coach is fine as long as it’s an adult who’s signed the paper. So _please,_ Kaito and Chris, can you sign my paper and say that I can go to duel school?”

Kaito hasn’t looked at the paper because Chris continues to stare at it, reading over each line like he’s studying it for an English exam. Kaito, meanwhile, dusts his hands off on his overalls and then yawns behind his hands. Yuuma thinks he hasn’t slept today; the bags around Kaito’s eyes prove his point. “Why are you going to duel school all the way out there?”

“Because I can’t go to duel school here.” Yuuma huffs. “I have friends there already, and I can only get better with practice. Sis doesn’t think I should go through, and she won’t sign that paper for me.” Yuuma yawns in succession with Kaito and then shakes himself awake. “She’s doing that overprotective older sibling thing.”

Both Kaito and Chris laugh.

“She’s looking out for you,” Chris says. He passes the paper to Kaito, who briefly scans it before setting it down on several other pieces of paper and next to two large corkscrews that don’t seem to belong on the desk.

“Yuuma, these duel classes are rigorous training courses designed to create pro-level duelists. It’s admirable that you’re a part of this, but is it wearing down on you?”

“‘Course not,” Yuuma answers. “I’m fine.”

Kaito and Chris exchange a glance that Yuuma can’t understand, so he crosses his arms and glares at them both. “I’m going to be fine. I have friends and a really awesome teacher. The worst that can happen is I miss a class and fall behind, but that’s not going to happen because this school is so, _so_ much better than any other class I’ve taken. Once Sis and Gran see my improved dueling _tactics,_ they’re going to be so happy I joined!”

Kaito sighs. “Fine. If you get yourself in shit, I’d like to know.” He reaches for the pencil behind his ear and signs in a messy scrawl that Yuuma can’t even imagine would ever read as Tenjou Kaito. Kaito pushes the paper across the table to him with a remark of, “Don’t get yourself killed doing this.”

“I won’t.” Yuuma pockets the paper. “I’m an Entertainment duelist.”

 _That_ particular word catches Chris’ attention, and to his side Kaito cocks his head.

“Entertainment duelist?” Chris asks. “What can you tell me about that?”

“Geez, why are you acting so weird?” Yuuma retorts, and then shrugs. “It’s the duel style my classmate, Sakaki-kun, uses. I think there might be others, and maybe it’s a Pendulum duelist thing. Whatever it is, it’s like watching a dance! I want to be an Entertainment duelist just like Sakaki-kun, and bring hope and smiles to an audience that loves dueling!”

However, Entertainment dueling doesn’t seem to bring the same smile to Chris and Kaito’s lips; they frown and look away, then to each other, and finally back to Yuuma. Their guarded expressions tell Yuuma that they won’t be sharing their concerns with him. That’s fine; Yuuma doesn’t need to know what they’re thinking about. To him, Entertainment dueling is a performing art for duelists. If Yuuya can do it, Yuuma has no doubt that he can channel his kattobingu into bringing smiles to the audience!

“Don’t make this into some weird adult thing,” Yuuma says with a laugh. “It’s dueling – it’s supposed to be fun, not like you’d know all about that being stuck down in here.” Playfully, he sticks out his tongue.

Kaito rolls his eyes. “Whatever, just don’t break your leg or anything. I don’t need the duel school calling me up to tell me of your latest stunt – I’ve seen enough hospitals for my lifetime.”

“Will do!” Yuuma gets two steps out the door before he looks over his shoulder. “Hey, Kaito?”

Without looking up from his paperwork, Kaito mumbles, “What?”

“Thanks! I knew I could count on you!”

“To let you lie to your parents and sneak you into a reckless duel school? Sure. Glad to know I could be of assistance.”

Yuuma closes the door with a chuckle. He folds the paper and tucks it in his deck case – the one place where he is sure to not forget it – and then heads back to the train station. His D-Gazer has been buzzing all morning from texts from Yuzu and Yuuya, both who have been asking him to come to Maiami and duel. Yuuma wants to go, and he wants to bring a friend with him too. Two vs. one duels are only exciting when he and Yuzu team up against Yuuya and take down his  Pendulum monsters; when Yuuya and Yuzu are on the same team, they wipe the floor with his deck.

So Yuuma texts Vector. Of all his friends to have nothing to do, Yuuma thinks Vector would like to duel. They’ve tag-dueled before, and Yuuma thinks he stands a fair chance with Vector at his side.

 _duel with me?_ Yuuma texts to Vector on the ride to his house.

 _right now?_ Vector replies.

_i’m meeting up with friends and we’re dueling. come join me~~~_

Yuuma doesn’t get an answer before he makes it to the Kamishiro Mansion. After the Barians returned to Heartland, Shark and Rio had offered up their home. Being Barians themselves, Rio had said this choice was justified; Yuuma thinks so too, but Shark and Vector can’t be in the same house without causing havoc. In fact, through the stone walls Yuuma can hear his friends going at it, muffled only by the fact that the main room is on the other side of the building.

It’s Durbe who opens the large, oak front door and peers at Yuuma through foggy glasses. “Good morning, Yuuma.”

“I’m here to pick up Vector,” Yuuma chirrups. “We’re going dueling today.”

Durbe opens his mouth to reply, but then Vector pops his red head around the corner and _grins._ “Yuuma-kun~! Weren’t you waiting for my reply?”

“I was, but then I was on the train and I thought I should just come here anyways. Are you going to come duel with me, Vector?”

From somewhere within the house, Yuuma hears shouting. It’s enough to momentarily distract Vector, and then Alit is at the door. He shakes his curls free from his green eyes and greets Yuuma with a bright smile. Yuuma notes with a laugh that the three Barians barely fit in the doorway, but neither Vector nor Alit seem bothered.

“Dueling?” Alit asks. “Against who?”

“My friend Sakaki-kun! He’s a Pendulum duelist!”

Vector _tsks_ under his breath. “Ah ah, Yuuma-kun! You shouldn’t trust someone whose first name you can’t say.”

“That is a terrible piece of advice considering we never should have trusted you,” Shark says, pulling Vector out of the doorway and taking his place. Yuuma stifles his laughter at seeing his classmate dressed in a baggy shark tank-top of dark sweatpants, looking like he just woke up despite it being eleven a.m. “What are you doing here, Yuuma?”

“Looking for duelists!” Yuuma answers.

“Who even is Sakaki?” Alit asks. “He’s not in our class, is he? Does he even go to our school?”

Yuuma shakes his head. “He goes to You Show Duel School! Remember Alit, I told you about my duel school. He’s a friend from there.”

Shark, however, hasn’t heard of duel school before. Yuuma quickly explains it to him, giggling when Shark asks the same questions as Kaito. Once those formalities are out of the way, Yuuma waves his precious permission slip for Shark to see. “Kaito was even an adult –”

“Those two words don’t belong together,” Shark interrupts.

“– and he signed my form! I am now, _officially,_ a student of You Show Duel School.”

Now back in view, Vector leans against Shark and toys with the curls of his violet  hair. “Really, Yuuma-kun? You think duel school will make you the best duelist?”

“I do!”

“Then we ought to go together! Not the school per se, but for this duel. I don’t think I need any further duel training.”

“I’m meeting my friends in a few hours at the duel school, and because Yuzu’s dad is the teacher, he’s going to let us use the duel room.”

“I could come too!” Alit says. “We should all come.”

“I’m not going,” Shark says at once. “I’m not dueling with a bunch of elementary schoolers –”

“Sakaki-kun and Hiiragi-chan are the same age as you,” Yuuma retorts, “and they’re Entertainment duelists.”

None of the Barians seem to know what he means, but Yuuma steps up to the front door. “You can all come with me, but I need _someone_ with me to duel against Sakaki-kun and Hiiragi-chan. I told them I’d bring a friend!”

Yuuma doesn’t catch the debate that goes on among the Barians, who crowd around the doorway (and Yuuma suspects more of them are around the corner), but in the end Alit, Vector, and Shark slip on their shoes and jackets and head out the door. Vector talks aimlessly as they head back to the train station, stepping on the backs of Shark’s shoes who refuses to walk in line with them. (“ _Yuuma, we cannot all walk in the same line, or else we’re going to take up the entire sidewalk.”_ )

On the train, Yuuma tells them about Entertainment dueling and Pendulum monsters, to which Alit calls cheating because you can’t Summon a bunch of monsters in one turn without some kind of spell card. Yuuma himself doesn’t understand the mechanics of Pendulum dueling, but he entertains the idea as they travel across the city and into Maiami. To his side, Shark and Vector debate who’s going to duel who when they get to the school.

“Well, not all of us can be on the same team,” Shark says. “Simple math, Yuuma: there’s only two Maiami students, and there’s four of us. Someone will need to be on the other side, and I vote Vector because he’s a shitty duelist who needs the challenge.”

“Screw you,” Vector snarls. Then to Yuuma, with an amicable smile, “I think you, Yuuma, should be with your friends. Barians vs. You Show students. It’ll be a fun, lighthearted duel.”

Yuuma agrees. He thinks to tell Yuuya about his friends, but decides to surprise him just in case.

When they get to Maiami, Alit begins to point out the routes to major shopping districts and malls that he’s visited on his daily excursions. Warm breezes tug at Yuuma’s clothing; he can smell the ocean breeze, the restaurants, and the floral parks as he meanders down the road to the duel school. Yuuma wonders how far away Yuuya lives, and if his classmate has to travel as far as he does every day.

At the entrance to the duel school, Alit picks up the pace. He throws open the doors and guffaws. “An actual duel school! How cool!”

Next to him, Vector peers over his shoulder and sniffs. “This is what you’re excited about? I don’t see any dueling.”

Shark rolls his eyes. “We’re in the reception area,” he growls. “It’s not going to look as impressive as the dueling field.”

Pushing through his friends, Yuuma squeezes through the doorway and leads the three Barians down the hallway. Without any classes going on, the duel school is silent. He sees a bell by the reception desk, but before he can press it Yuzu appears at the top of the stairs leading to the residential area of the house. Yuuma had never considered Yuzu was in a school uniform, but seeing her in jeans and a t-shirt makes her seem younger.

“Morning, Tsukumo-kun!” she greets. Then, looking past Yuuma at the three Barians – Shark with his hands in his pockets, Alit beaming at her next to Yuuma, and Vector incessantly pressing the reception buzzer – she leans her head to the side. “Are those your classmates?”

“Yep! This is my best friend, Shark! And those two are in my class: Vector and Alit.”

Yuuya hurries around the corner after Yuzu, appearing to lick the last of his breakfast off his fingers. “Morning, Tsukumo-kun! Oh, and Tsukumo-kun’s friends! Hi there!”

Alit waves, Shark huffs, and Vector gives a salute from where he’s taken up residence sprawled along on the waiting couches.

Sheepishly, Yuuma says, “I meant to bring a friend along so it wouldn’t be a 2 vs. 1 duel, but this happened instead. Hehe, maybe we’ll do a three vs. three duel?”

“That works for me. Yuuya, we’ve had more complicated duels in the Maiami Championships, right?” The two of them laugh. Yuuma thinks about the Sargasso duel, and his duel against Don Thousand with Shark – those duels had been headscratchers of who attacked first. However, Yuzu and Yuuya seem like top students, so Yuuma thinks this will be an easy duel.

Yuzu twirls a key between her fingers that unlocks the duel room. The Barians’ eyes light up in excitement at seeing the room, and Yuuma happily explains to them the amazing abilities of Solid Virtual Reality technology and Action Duels. As Yuzu sets up the system and lets the machine warm up before kicking off the duel, Yuuya fans out his cards for the Barians to see.

“These are Pendulum cards,” he explains. “Yuuma says you don’t have Pendulum duelists in Heartland.”

“We’re Xyz duelists,” Shark mutters.

Yuuya laughs. “Me too!”

Both eyebrows raised, Alit answers, “You’re both?”

“I can use all the Summoning methods,” Yuuya tells them. He fans out his Extra deck cards, showing off his Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz monsters. Most of them are dragons, earning a ‘Mizael would cry,’ remark from Vector. Shuffling his cards back into his deck, Yuuya asks the others, “What decks do you run?”

“Xyz Water.”

“Umbral.”

“Battlin’ Boxer!”

“We’ll be evenly matched them. Tsukumo-kun, you’ll be on my team, right?”

“Oh sure,” Yuuma answers. “You’ll be good together?”

Brushing off the concern, Vector replies, “We’ll be fine!” To prove his point, he swings his arms over Shark and Alit’s shoulders and pulls them together for a hug; Alit laughs and _leans,_ nearly toppling them all over, and Shark scowls and tries to keep his footing with Alit and Vector both being off-balanced.

The room whirs to life with the sounds of the Solid VR system coming to life; bright lights stream from a black disco ball that warps the room into a large, grassy field. Small, colourful flowers spurt from the green grass that tickles Yuuma’s sneakers; somehow there is a sea breeze in this room, and with the change in environment Yuuma feels his heart soar.

To his side, Shark blinks and rubs his eyes. “What the hell kind of magic is this?”

“Solid Virtual Reality,” Yuzu answers, skipping down the final steps and landing with a jump in the grass. “It’s developed by Leo Corporation and used in duel school like You Show and LDS. You’ve never seen it before?”

Shark doesn’t answer. Yuuma watches him toe the ground and flick his hands to the feeling of the wind on his fingers. Next to him, Alit touches the grass and Vector rips a flower out of the ground to see that it is, in fact, real.

Yuzu clears her throat. “Ready to duel? Tsukumo-kun, let’s do this!”

And before Yuuma can get his bearings together, Yuuya and Yuzu grab his hands and begin to chant: “Duelists locked in battle! Kicking the earth and dancing alongside their monsters! They storm through this field! Behold!” With a jump and a spin, Yuuya pulls them up to a small, floating platform. “This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling! Action Duel!”

Alit claps, Vector whistles, and Shark even smiles, hidden behind a fist. “Is this an Action Duel or a performance?” Shark asks.

“Both,” Yuuya answers.

The duel starts out rocky. Yuuya and Yuzu can match each other’s rhythm, perhaps from tag-dueling many times before; Yuuma struggles with his plays and can’t seem to keep to their merciless beat – and beat they do! Alit, Shark, and Vector struggle to get their bearings after each of Yuuya’s attacks. What keeps them alive are Alit’s counter-attacks that throw back every punch Yuzu throws at them. Shark and Vector don’t have a chance to sabotage each other when they both try to take down Hope.

When Yuuma does catch on to the duel, it becomes a heavenly experience. He spins with Yuuya and Yuzu, jumping and twisting around the field in ways that catch the Barians’ eyes. At one point, he runs and vaults up to a platform; when his hands slip on the hold, Yuuya is there to pull him up.

“You’re a born Entertainer!” he says. Then Yuuya is across the field again, riding on his Duel Monsters or rolling on his heelies. He never seems to slow down, and rather than focus on his tactics and strategies, Yuuma finds himself following after Yuuya’s moves. The duel becomes a routine; he becomes an actor. Yuuma doesn’t even realise they’ve won until Yuuya and Yuzu are congratulating him with hugs and praises, and across the field Shark is smiling at him.

“What a great duel!” Yuzu praises. Looking over her shoulder, she says, “Let’s do another round!”

Another round turns into several duels spanning the afternoon, soon branching off into one vs. one matches that Alit writes up on a scoreboard. Alit is the first to be eliminated; in his honour, Shark takes out Yuzu. Yuuma is the next to go, cursing how he could lose to Vector after all this time. Vector slyly replies, “It’s for the best that I win,” and proceeds to decimate Shark too. Vector vs. Yuuya proves to be an interesting matchup, particularly when Vector can’t keep up with Yuuya’s multiple summons. In the end, Yuuya wins with half his LP remaining.

Alit is ecstatic, Shark is confused, and Vector is pissed. Yuuya’s dueling seems incredible at its best and overpowered at its worst, and while Yuuma eagerly begs Yuzu for more duel time, the Barians contemplate going home. There’s no school today, but Shark complains of some homework he should do, and Vector reminds Yuuma and Alit that they have assignments too.

“We don’t need to go just yet though,” Yuuma argues. He isn’t ready for the day to be over yet. “Just one more duel.”

“How about we go out to eat?” Yuuya suggests. “We can go get dinner or something, and then Yuzu and I will walk you back to the train station.”

Yuuma and Alit are eager to eat, and Vector and Shark don’t get an opinion on the matter when they all head back into the city centre. On the way there, Yuuya opens up the wheels to his heelies and does flips and spins, kicking off from the cement when no one else is on the sidewalk. Yuzu talks to them about strategies and decks builds; she is well-versed on deck-building and often helps the junior youth students with their first decks.

“That’s who you’re teaching, aren’t you?” Shark says to Yuuma. “You’re teaching little kids?”

“Yeah, elementary schoolers! They’re actually all really good duelists and can do some great combos!”

“They were telling me about your lesson yesterday,” Yuzu says. “They all say you are such a good teacher, Tsukumo-kun! You brought them for hands-on training, which isn’t easy when there’s three of them eager to try it out. They’ve got the basics down, but in out-of-school duels they’re using the DuelBuddy automated system to help them with their plays and combos. It’s hard for them to remember to put cards in attack position or to remember to use their monster effects, but it sounds like your lessons are already doing wonders for their self-esteem.”

Yuuma beams under the praise. “I’m going to teach them how to Xyz summon.”

“They’ll love that!” Yuuya says. “Usually once the basics are covered, I teach them how to Pendulum Summon. We can certainly mix that up through and teach Xyz Summoning first! I bet they’ll be so excited to learn from you, Tsukumo-kun!”

The restaurant they visit is a small crepe shop, the kind that Kotori likes with lots of pastel colours and sweet flavours. Yuuya is familiar with the place by the way he throws open the door and reels off his order to the employee. Yuuma spends his time debating between three different flavours before settling on azuki. He takes two bites of his before Vector is asking to share, and so Yuuma asks Shark too.

“This is not a communal lunch,” he mutters, cheeks red as Yuuma chomps on the top part of his blueberry crepe.

“It’s OK to share, Shark,” Yuuma replies. He blinks when another crepe is held out to him; this one is decorated with sprinkles and jam, and the toppings explode from the centre of the roll.

“Here, Tsukumo-kun! Try a bite of mine!”

Yuuma grins and takes a bite of Yuuya’s. He holds his out for Yuuya, who tastes it and tells him, “This is my second favourite flavour!” Yuzu shows him how she tears at her crepes and dips the pieces in the jam and toppings; she lets him try some of hers as well.

By the time they make it out of the crepe shop, it’s nearing dark and Yuuma is yawning. He licks at the corners of his lips on the way to the train station; behind him, Alit and Yuzu compares deck types and strategies, arguing how valuable it is to have so many trap cards in one’s deck. Alit is insistent that one can never have enough counter-traps.

“You’ll be at class tomorrow, Tsukumo-kun?” Yuuya asks.

“I wouldn’t miss it with my life,”Yuuma promises. “Can you come watch me teach?”

“I’ll sneak out of class for it,” Yuuya says with a wink.

“You don’t have to skip class for me.”

From up ahead, Vector says, “Is that where you go, Yuuma-kun? You skip class too, so you can’t be berating your buddy there if you yourself are doing the same thing.”

“But you fall asleep in that class too,” Yuuma retorts, “so it’s no different that I leave to get to duel school on time.”

Vector shrugs. “Yuuma’s friend –”

“Sakaki-kun,” Yuuma interrupts.

“ – do you know of any Xyz duelists?”

“Besides you all?” he jokes. “Sure, I know a couple people from Heartland, but they might have moved on now. And then I’ve seen the pro duelists on TV like the Arclights and Gauche the Star; those channels are broadcasted all across Japan, right? There’s some others too, but I know those. How come?”

“You seem too well-versed in Xyz dueling for being from Maiami. Everyone knows that the best Xyz duelists are born and raised in Heartland.”

Yuuya laughs it off. “That’s true! Well I do have a few old friends who lived near Heartland who taught me some tips and tricks.”

“Who?”

“My friend Shun, for example.”

Yuuma doesn’t recognise the name, but a slow smile spreads across Vector’s face. Unfortunately, none of them have time to finish the conversation: they arrive at the train station, which at this hour is packed with people waiting to head back into Heartland or looking for connecting trains to Academia or City. Vector and Shark seem uncomfortable saying goodbye, but Alit and Kotori exchange bows and wave to each other, and Yuuma high fives Yuuya and Yuzu.

“Next time,” Yuzu says, “we’ll come visit you in Heartland!”

“Definitely! See you!”

Yuuma waves at the students until they’re down the stairs and out of the train station. He turns around and opens his mouth to ask his friends how they enjoyed meeting Yuuya and Yuzu, but Vector beats him to it.

“Those duelists are shady, Yuuma.”

Yuuma frowns. “Shady? How?”

“I didn’t recognise Sakaki’s name because he’s not from around here, but Kurosaki Shun was a competitor at the Maiami Championship that ended with the worst turnout for a competition. There were eight finalists, no winners - hell, there were more casualties there than at the World Duel Carnival. You don’t think that’s suspicious?”

Yuuma doesn’t seem to catch on. “You think Kurosaki-kun is suspicious?”

Vector growls. “He’s not telling you the truth. He said that Maiami citizens know how to use all four Summoning methods, but he’s lying to you. Not everyone knows that – he learned them because the MCS was invaded by a fascist, elite group of duelists who were Fusion Summoners and the Lancers were born from this messy championship.”

“So you’re saying Sakaki-kun was part of a war?”

“He probably was,” Vector says. “The news stations didn’t broadcast much of what happened during the MCS, but there’s some video footage of people dying on the Dark Web.”

“You’re telling lies,” Shark says. He shoves his hands in his pockets and stares at Vector. “Far be it for me to correct whatever information you’ve gathered from tabloids, but I don’t think Yuuma’s harmless friend here is part of all this. That tournament didn’t get broadcasted because it was cancelled; that’s what happens when you plan poorly. As for Kurosaki Shun, I’m far certain whatever crimes you’ve dug up about him are nothing compared to yours, Vector.”

“I’m just _saying_ that Pendulum duelists aren’t as lighthearted as their Entertainment ways make them out to be.”

“I don’t think anything’s wrong with Sakaki-kun and Hiiragi-chan, or any other Entertainment duelists,” Yuuma says, “and I don’t know anything about the MCS but I bet there’s a good reason why it was cancelled. I’ll ask them next week at class.”

“He didn’t even talk about the Lancers, Yuuma. You really think they’ll talk about the shitshow of the MCS?” Vector shrugs. “And besides, Entertainment dueling is not light. It was originally a violent sport.”

“Well it’s not anymore,” Yuuma says with a huff. “You saw how we were dueling – that wasn’t violent.”

“You could’ve broken your neck,” Shark points out.

“Still that doesn’t make it violent. Look, I’ll even ask them about the origins of Entertainment dueling and that rumours of the MCS on Monday, and we’ll clear up all that suspicion. There’s nothing gory now about Entertainment duelists.”

“It’s probably just like gladiators,” Alit says. “Those events were bloodbaths eons ago, but today such matches are purely fun sport. I bet you it’s like everything else: past events were often violent. I’m with Yuuma though: his friends don’t seem like the type to engage in senseless carnage for victory.”

Vector doesn’t seem convinced. “I’m just saying that people aren’t always who they appear to be.”

“You should learn to take your own advice sometimes,” Shark mutters.

On the train, Yuuma tries to switch the topic from violent “Entertainment” games to more cheerful topics like crepe flavours and going bowling next week; however, Alit, Shark, and Vector seem intent to settle the conversation then and there on the train, complete with Vector exclaiming, “If you want to keep comparing me to Entertainment duelists, how are you going to trust them?” to which Shark retorted, “If we still have you around, I bet Yuuma will still be safe in Maiami.”

Yuuma doesn’t think his friends can be playing those same dark games though. Yuuya’s Entertainment dueling brings hope and smiles to his audience, and those smiles couldn’t come from carnage. Nothing about his friend screams danger, and even by comparing Yuuya to Vector Yuuma can’t imagine the situations being similar. But the others refuse to listen to him, so Yuuma leans back on the seat and fiddles with his phone.

 _you’re the pioneer of pendulum dueling?_ Yuuya texts to Yuuya.

_yep~~~_

_are you the pioneer of entertainment dueling too?_

Yuuya doesn’t respond.

When the train stops, Vector and Alit have moved on to discussing other bloody games and comparing and contrasting their past lives. Shark hangs behind for a moment and slow his pace to match Yuuma’s. His silence becomes a comfort before he opens his mouth to say, “That school is cool, y’know. I wouldn’t spend my time and money there, but it’s a good idea towards becoming a pro Duelist.”

“And you don’t think Entertainment dueling is violent?”

“If it was, it’s because some assholes turned it that way. You remember in Duel History class when we were learning about Shadow Games, and how they twisted all sorts of harmless activities and made them into dark, deadly traps? Maybe someone did the same thing with Pendulum dueling, and it’s just not in our history textbooks because it’s not as important as Shadow Magic. Who knows. Honestly though, ignore what Vector says about your friends: if we’re keeping him around after all the shit he’s putting everyone through, then he has no right to pull up past drama about the Lancers and the MCS.”

Yuuma smiles. “You’re the best, Shark.”

“Don’t make this conversation all sentimental and mushy.”

“I’m serious, Shark!”

“No, you’re making this all feely.”

As if keeping a secret, Yuuma smiles at the sky. “Shark, wouldn’t it be awesome if Sakaki-kun came here? Wouldn’t it be great if we weren’t so far apart from the other duelists, and in Heartland there were Pendulum duelists and Fusion duelists and Synchro duelists? What if these worlds came together?”

“Yuuma, saying ridiculous stuff like that is going to make me worry about you. We don’t blend worlds together because some things stay separate. Plus I don’t think Maiami technology would even work in a city like Heartland: dueling isn’t as much of a spectacle. We’re already ‘united’ too; isn’t that close enough?”

“But it could be more!” Yuuma insists. “I like Entertainment dueling, and Alit likes it. Kaito already duels with some flair, and I bet Mizael would take it up too! And it’s not like all Entertainment dueling is the same: everyone duels differently and everyone has a different passion. I can just imagine it, Shark!”

They turn down several streets illuminated by the moonlight. Yuuma notices that his friends are taking him home, and it gives him a small skip in his step.

“Shark, can you help me become a better Xyz duelist? I want to impress Sakaki-kun.”

“You already have,” Shark says. “Didn’t you see his face? He wouldn’t stop staring at you.”

Yuuma stumbles. “Eh, he was? How could you tell?”

“It’s not hard to notice when someone’s following you around the field. You’ve already caught his attention, but if you want to impress him further you should teach him something about Xyz dueling, something that he wouldn’t know from a class at duel school.”

“Like what?”

Shark pauses; his cheeks grow redder with each moment. With a cough, he answers, “You should tell him about your kattobingu.”

“But that has nothing to do with Xyz dueling,” Yuuma answers.

“It doesn’t matter; Sakaki will probably still like to hear about it. It’s your most important thing, so if you want to make it all sentimental go for it.”

The moonlight makes Shark’s eyes twinkle. He keeps fiddling with his hands and breaking eye contact – gestures that Yuuma has come to know as signs of embarrassment. Yuuma touches the Key around his neck and thinks about how he can tell Yuuya about kattobingu. He’s not ready to tell Yuuya about Astral or about the Barians, or about any of the wild events that happened last year, but kattobingu is something he could share with Yuuya. Yuuya’s pendulum is even like Yuuma’s Key; there’s already a tentative connection of understanding between them.

The Barians drop him off at his home at a decent time before everyone has retired to bed. Yuuma opens the front door and greets his grandmother and sister, both who sit in the living room watching TV. Akari has a bowl full of noodles in her hands and Gran knits with a ball of yarn. They both look up when he opens the door, and the first words out of Akari’s mouth are, “Where have you been?”

“I went out with Shark and Vector and Alit,” he answers, heading to the kitchen to get a snack for himself.

“Did you go dueling?” she asks.

“Yeah, and I won again.” Yuuma pulls out the leftovers from the fridge and sticks them in the microwave. “Oh, and I went to go see Chris and Kaito.” He doesn’t mention Yuuya and Yuzu, but between these two visits Yuuma thinks he’s created a plausible excuse. When Akari doesn’t answer, Yuuma fills the silence with, “Akari, do you ever write reports on duel championships?”

“Not really, but I have a co-worker who covers that. Why?”

“I just want to look at the championship articles. Vector says I’m not in them even though I have won tournaments.”

Akari sighs. “I’ll get you an access code to view the duel magazines, OK? There’s a publisher that compiles solely dueling reports.”

“Thanks, Akari!” He bundles up the rest of the food, and, with one last look around, ascends to his room. “Good night, Akari! Good night, Gran!” He hears the mumbles of their replies, but Yuuma is quick to head upstairs. He pulls off the Emperor’s Key and reaches for his most recent deck.

 _Hi-Five the Sky._ A deck comprised of his burning passions and his zeal to keep dueling. Someday, Yuuma knows he’ll duel Yuuya with this deck. He’ll show Yuuya a duel made of hope and smiles.


	5. Lancers?! The Mysteries of Entertainment Dueling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i missed an update, i hope you enjoy the Barians messing around some more (:

On Mondays, Yuuma comes to duel school refreshed and awake. Midway through the week though, he notices his energy begin to deplete: staying awake during class becomes a daily struggle, and on the train rides home Yuuma passes out on the seats. He sets an alarm on his D-Gazer to wake him up after 45 minutes just so that he doesn’t sleep through his stop. Kotori comments on his exhaustion and tells him that he could always ask Coach Shuuzou if he could leave early some days, but Yuuma insists that he’d rather miss regular school than duel school, and he continues to leave class early.

As a teacher, Yuuma learns the ins and outs of keeping his students focused and interested. He takes his role seriously and, with Kotori’s help, looks up strategies to become an effective instructor. In class, he watches how Shuuzou teaches and tries to mimic him. He remembers how Astral taught him how to duel and he tries to embody all the knowledge he’s been given.

Outside of school and duel school, Yuuma takes the train across the bridge into Maiami to visit Yuuya and Yuzu. Yuuya shows him videos of his friends: again, he only recognises Yuzu, but Yuuya points out Sora and Dennis and Gongenzaka and Shun, all duelists and all seemingly awesome. Yuuma shows him a photo of the him and the Barians at a slumber party in the Kamishiro Mansion. Yuuya teaches him how to use the heelies, so Yuuma brings his skateboard on the train one day and shows it to the Maiami students.

Yuuma doesn’t forget about the Entertainment dueling and the rumour, but without Vector around to give him ominous warnings, Yuuma is content to keep dueling with Yuuya and Yuzu and forget about whatever gory past Entertainment Dueling may have had. Times have changed and dueling has become much more of a fun event. Plus Yuuya duels to make people smile, so he couldn’t be dueling for such a crude goal.

Content, Yuuma closes all the webpages on his D-Gazer and slips it into his pocket. On the way to duel school, he tries to keep himself awake to the best of his ability, but this train had several empty seats, and now snuggled on one Yuuma feels his eyes drifting closed. He and Yuuya have texted throughout the week about dueling.Yuzu only texts him out of class, so he doesn’t bother her.

Just as Yuuma’s eyes begin to drift closed does he spot his stop, and he shakes himself awake and hurries out the door to class. The run wakes him up enough to make it to You Show just as Shuuzou is heading downstairs to the main floor.

“Yuuma!” he greets. “How are you today?”

“Awesome!” Yuuma answers. He describes the lesson plan to Shuuzou, who nods excitedly about Yuuma trying out a new technique. Yuuma doesn’t mention he came up with the plan in class this morning, but he’s happy that his coach is eager to start.

What Yuuma doesn’t expect is a fourth student in his class, much less someone he knows all too well. The sky blue hair and golden eyes aren’t much to go off of, but the Heartland elementary school uniform is a giveaway.

“Haruto?” he chokes. “How are you here?”

Haruto smiles widely. “Big Brother sent me. Didn’t he tell you?”

“He told me no such thing,” Yuuma huffs. He pouts for a moment before coming up to Haruto and embracing him in a tight hug. “I’m glad to have you in class though!”

The other children chat with Haruto while Yuuma sets up the lesson, and when they all dive into working and studying, Haruto becomes a valuable teaching assistant. Yuuma had planned on teaching the children the mechanics of using Magic cards to boost attack and defense points. Haruto, while not dueling in any major championships, has enough experience from friendly duels with Kaito to point the other students in the right direction.

When they move into the dueling room, Haruto gapes at the Solid VR technology. He runs his translucent fingers over the walls and ground. Yuuma powers up the technology from the control centre up above; through the window, Yuuma catches Haruto jump when the Field blossoms into a vibrant, green valley. Small wildflowers bloom from the ground; the blue sky and azure sea capture his interest. A warm smile spreads over Haruto’s face, and the sun catches in his eyes when he looks up at Yuuma.

“Solid VR technology,” Yuuma explains, hopping down the stairs to his students. “This is the newest and greatest dueling technology from the big companies.”

“This is incredible!” Haruto exclaims. He runs his fingers through the grass, much in the same way Shark had upon seeing the VR technology, and hums to himself. “My big brother would be amazed by this. He’d love to learn about this technology and bring it to Heartland.”

Ayu pipes up: “You need to meet Akaba Reiji-san then! His family runs Leo Corporation, the owners of Solid VR.”

“My brother is a scientist,” Haruto states, “so he’ll want to meet Akaba-san someday.”

Satisfied, Yuuma starts the practice duel. Haruto stands far less of an advantage without the help of the guidelines next to him, but he uses his Spell cards effectively to power up several monsters that take down Yuuma’s. Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya show him the ropes of Entertainment dueling by moving throughout the Field, not taking up quite the grandiose space as Yuuya, but still holding a presence on the dueling stage. They jump and spin to the music and lights that cascade around the Field.

Under the dueling lights, Haruto glows. Yuuma can’t imagine how Kaito registered him to duel if Kaito himself doesn’t like Entertainment dueling. However, Yuuma can’t see what there is to be worried about: Entertainment dueling brings hope and smiles and _energy_ to the duelists and the audience alike. It creates a bond from sharing an intimate moment together; the duelist and audience become in sync with the lights and music.

The duels are quicker though, and once the time is up Yuuma waves goodbye to his students. His gaze lingers on Haruto, who stands at the door awkwardly.

“Where’s Kaito?” Yuuma asks.

“He’s coming … I think,” Haruto replies, looking down at his feet.

Yuuma frowns. “If you told him you were going, then he’d come get you, right?” A pause. “Does he not know you’re here?”

Haruto shakes his head.

“Well.” Yuuma sighs. “At least you paid tuition, right?”

Haruto nods. “I don’t see Kaito as much because he and Chris are working lots, but neither of them know I’m here. It’s just a few classes, and it’s not like I’m missing class if I don’t go to it in the first place. Plus this is mine, so if I can pay I should be able to go, right? I just wish I could tell my brother about it.”

Yuuma thinks back to when he’d told Kaito about going to duel school, and how Kaito had exclaimed that he was tiring himself out and joining something dangerous. Other than the risk of falling, there’s no danger at You Show. With a laugh, Yuuma thinks that Haruto must be safer here than at home where Kaito’s experiments often go awry.

“I can’t really bar you from the tournament even though I owe Kaito one for getting _me_ in here,” he answers. “Until then, keep on coming, all right?” Yuuma claps Haruto on the shoulder. “You got here on your own, right?”

Haruto nods. “I took the train.”

“You can take the same way back. I’d go with you, but …” Yuuma looks away for a second. “I’ve got more class after this, and I can’t miss a lesson. Promise me you’ll get home safe.”

“I promise,” Haruto says, “and I’m sure my brother will be OK once he sees how good at dueling I’ve become. I promise!”

Haruto leaves still waving goodbye to Yuuma. Once he’s gone, Yuuma packs up his deck, shuts off the duel equipment, and heads back to the classroom. Yuzu is already there waiting for him with a cheeky expression that Yuuma can’t quite place.

“That’s a duelist from Heartland,” she comments as soon as he sits down.

Yuuma nods. “That’s Haruto, my friend Kaito’s little brother. He’s never dueled professionally before, but Kaito’s one of the best duelists I know. I bet Haruto wants to win a duel against his brother.”

“I was there when he was filling out the form. He still has to get it signed by an adult, but Shuuzou let him come this week just to get a feel for Entertainment dueling in a classroom.” She chuckles. “By the looks of how engaging your classes are, Tsukumo-kun, I bet he had a great time.”

A warm feeling bubbles in Yuuma’s stomach. He nods enthusiastically before he catches to implied meaning, and he double-takes. “You were there?!”

“I was,” Yuzu chirrups. “I was in the doorway sending warm smiles to Tatsuya and Ayu, both who noticed me. You were so focused on teaching that you probably never saw me.” As Shuuzou passes by to begin setting up the screen and arranging his teaching equipment, Yuzu leans into him and whispers, “My dad is thankful of all your hard work. The kids this semester are loving your classes and are becoming stronger, more confident duelists. Just today they were testing out Entertainment techniques to raise the energy of the crowd, something that just seems to come naturally to you despite you never having taken any classes.”

“Performing for an audience is natural to me,” Yuuma answers. “Dueling isn’t just between two duelists; the monsters and audience are equally important to any duel.”

With a _slam!_ , Yuuya drops into his seat next to Yuuma, shocking the life out of both Yuzu and Yuuma. “I made it!” cries Yuuya.

“You’re almost late,” Yuzu points out. “What kept you so long? We left school at the same time.”

Yuuya pulls out a brochure and spreads it across his and Yuuma’s desk. The vibrant colours pop out at Yuuma, yet they lead his eyes to several bubbles explaining a an upcoming tournament hosted in Maiami City by Leo Corporation. The duel is typical single-elimination and limited registration, with priority given to ranked national duelists before unranked or international competitors. None of these brochures ever appear in Heartland City, but Yuuma knows the standard East Asian dueling circuit regulations.

He can participate in this.

Yuuya briefly explains each of the main points of the tournament, including new rules that limit deck sizes to only 40 cards and that ensure no banned cards make it in. There are welcoming messages for all duelists regardless of Summoning Style, but with a second glance Yuuma remembers that many duelists use more than one method anyway.

“It’s been a while since the Akabas hosted a tournament,” Yuzu remarks. “I wonder what the celebration is.”

Yuuya points to the middle of the brochure. “A Tribute to dueling,” he reads aloud. “Maiami’s Tributed Duelists Nationwide Championship brings together duelists from across the East Asian circuit for two days of heart-pounding, soul-searing duels hosted by Leo Corporation. Duelists, prepare your single- and multi-Summoning decks for a stellar event.”

“It sounds pretty typical,” Yuzu says, “but I can’t say I’m not excited for this. It’s been a while since Leo Corporation sponsored a duel. We’ll have to send out a message to our friends –”

“I’ll do that too!” Yuuma interrupts. “You’ve got to see my friends dueling!”

Yuuya’s eyes catch on his. “We’ll get to duel each other,” he says. “A real tournament.”

Yuuma grabs Yuuya’s hand and squeezes. “I, Tsukumo Yuuma, acclaimed champion of the galaxies, will challenge Sakaki Yuuya to a duel in the Tributed Duelists Championships. See you at the top.”

Yuuya shakes their hands. “I look forward to it.” Then, to Yuzu: “Entermates versus Melodious - we’ll be evenly matched.”

Yuzu nods. “Lancers Version Two, right?” she teases.

Yuuma’s ears perk up at the mention of Lancers. Neither of them had seemed comfortable talking about the MCS or the Lancers when they went out with the Barians, but now both Maiami students seem comfortable talking between themselves.

“Lancers?” Yuuma echoes, eager to get in the conversation. “Who are they?”

Yuuya and Yuzu answer in unison. “Duelists. It was a top team formed at the end of the Maiami Championships –”

Yuuma is quick to retort: “My friend Vector said that the championship ended so badly that instead of one winner there were eight, and those eight became the Lancers who went on fighting. He said the evidence is on the Dark Web.”

“That’s not quite what happened,” Yuuya says; for the first time, Yuuma notices how careful Yuuya is with his next words. “The Lancers were the eight finalists who became a united force of powerful duelists versed in different Summoning methods. These duelists were protecting the City from illegal and harmful duels –”

Yuuma frowns. “What kind of harmful duels?” The only duels Yuuma can remember are from the Barian Invasion, but Don Thousand had only harmed Heartland City in his conquest. Yuuma can’t imagine the Lancers hearing of _that_ event, much less participating indirectly. Yuuma doesn’t want to tell them about the Barians though, just in case Yuuya and Yuzu develop suspicions of his friends.

Yuuya seems equally guarded. “Duels that aren’t played anymore. What’s important is that it’s been resolved, and now dueling is the heart-pumping game it is meant to be.”

Yuuma doesn’t want to let it drop, but Shuuzou clears his throat and Yuuma simmers down. He thinks to ask Yuuya and Yuzu after class, but in the whirlwind of Summoning lessons and practicing Ritual Summoning, Yuuma forgets until he’s back home and his sister is pushing a tablet into his hands.

“Your article,” she says upon noticing his confused expression. With her hair down and dressed in her cotton pyjamas, she looks far less professional. “You said you wanted it. I don’t know what you could learn from this, much less even _try_ reading it, but go for it. Maybe take it to your science-y friends if you’re really confused because I won’t be able to help you translate all this historic blabber.”

Curiously, Yuuma flips the tablet in his hands. On its holographic screen is the title page to the scholarly article. It reads _Pendulum Disaster: An Unpredictable Summoning Method._ Yuuma flips through it quickly, looking for pictures or key words, but the article is as dry as it gets. He sighs. This will take _days_ to go through even with Kotori’s help. He considers showing it to Yuuya, but that might raise suspicions.

Yuuma still takes the article up to his room and pores over it. If Astral were here he might have been able to define all the complicated words. His sister couldn’t even understand such a complicated piece of work, and she writes for the daily news!

The tablet slips from Yuuma’s tired fingers and clatters to the ground. He swings gently in the hammock, admiring how the moonlight streams through the window and bedazzles the ancient artefacts scattered around his room. If he found out that Entertainment truly was dangerous, would it stop him? Yuuma can’t imagine him giving up on You Show and Yuuya and on Pendulum dueling. Those things are far too precious to him.

Yet there is a nagging at his heart that something _is_ wrong, and it pains Yuuma to think that his friends aren’t telling him the truth.

 _I’ll ask Vector tomorrow,_ thinks Yuuma. _If anyone knows about dangerous dueling on the Dark Web, it’s him._

* * *

Vector does.

Over the weekend, Yuuma takes the train to the Kamishiro Mansion. The expansive gardens and tumbling pathways create a gentle atmosphere that encourages Yuuma to take a deep breath, close his eyes, and appreciate the smell of Mizael’s flowers blossoming in the flowerbeds. It’s mid-morning with the sun peeking over the last of the mountains. However, when Yuuma knocks on the door repeatedly it takes some time for Durbe to blearily open the door. His glasses are tilted and he’s dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt that reads, “Get off your high horses.”

“Morning!” Yuuma greets.

“Yuuma,” Durbe replies. “Here for someone?”

“For Vector.” Yuuma leans to the side to look past Durbe. The house is still dark. “Is everyone still asleep?”

“In a way. No one’s bothered to get out of bed except me and Rio, and she’s currently swimming. Vector won’t be awake for a few hours at least, but is there anything I can help you with in the meantime.”

Yuuma chews on his lip. Then, “Yeah, actually you can.” Quickly, Yuuma reaches inside his backpack and pulls out his sister’s tablet, crammed between a second breakfast and his D-Gazer and two decks. “My sister,” Yuuma begins as he open up the article, “gave this article to me about Entertainment dueling and I can’t understand it. It uses _huge_ words and strange pronouns, and I need your help translating it.”

Durbe takes one look at it and looks up. “This is Japanese, Yuuma.”

“I don’t care. It’s _hard_ to read all those kanji. You’re probably way better at this than I am.”

Durbe nods thoughtfully, then snickers. “If you thought Vector could read this, you are sadly mistaken.”

Blushing, Yuuma says, “Well I thought we could look at it together. Vector says there’s information on the Dark Web about Entertainment dueling, so I figured he could help me out somehow even if neither of us can read the article.”

The information only makes Durbe frown. Nonetheless, Yuuma follows him into the house and into the main living room. The Kamishiro Mansion once looked quite boring and tasteless with all the decorations in their correct location, but it now looks homey with blankets thrown among the couches and floor. There are dinner plates stacked on the corner of the coffee table, accompanied by a half-dozen empty mugs stained from tea or hot chocolate. The walls are decorated with paintings and poster: Mizael’s Chinese tapestries hang alongside Durbe’s sword; Gilag’s otaku figures line the mantle, leaving little room for Rio’s books or Shark’s assortment of sea stones. The room is beautifully mismatched; it leaves Yuuma gaping at the grandeur.

“Please excuse the mess,” mutters Durbe, hurriedly clearing off the table and pushing aside the blankets.

“It’s homey,” Yuuma says. “Shark doesn’t clean when I come over because he doesn’t need to.”

“No one cleans,” Durbe corrects. “It’s why this house is in such a disarray.”

Durbe moves the remaining blankets off the couch and takes up a seat. Yuuma sits next to him and they both look at the tablet in Durbe’s hands. For a moment, there is complete silence. Yuuma’s mind drifts to the rustling sounds upstairs and the gentle splashes from Rio’s swimming. He becomes entranced in the sound that he forgets what he’s doing with Durbe until the other boy shakes him on the shoulder.

“Lancers? You’re reading about the Lancers?”

“You know about them?” Yuuma asks.

“Elite Maiami Duelists that went up against Academia soldiers. Their purpose was to achieve peace, but it was a rather vicious fight until the end.”

“Who were the Lancers?”

Durbe scrolls, then holds out a picture for Yuuma. “This is them.”

Yuuma spots Yuuya right away. Yuuya’s messy, red-and-green hair sticks out and makes Yuuma’s heart beat faster. Yuzu is nowhere to be seen, but Yuuma still recognises others from the videos Yuuya has shown him: Shun, Shingo, and Reiji. There’s a girl that looks like Yuzu if she had dyed her hair and dressed up for a sports event. There’s another child, as young as Haruto perhaps, standing next to Reiji and holding onto the duelist’s pant leg. Finally, there is a man with fuzzy orange hair. The Lancers look far less menacing than Yuuma expected.

“Maiami’s best duelists,” Yuuma says. “Who’s Academia then?”

“Duel Academy gone rogue. It was a training facility for child soldiers, or so this article says. The Lancers went to save the citizens of …” Durbe pauses. “Heartland. The Lancers tried to save Heartland.”

Yuuma is up and over Durbe’s lap in an instant. “Wait, that makes no sense! Heartland is fine! All good! The Lancers weren’t around for the Barian War, and nothing that disastrous before then. Academia couldn’t have attacked us.”

Yuuma can’t read what written in the difficult kanji and wordy sentences of the article. There are no other pictures to read anything from. However, Heartland City is written clearly for him. Sometime, in some future or past or alternate reality, Heartland was conquered by elitist Fusion duelists who massacred Xyz citizens.

“When did this happen?” Yuuma cries.

Durbe, having been knocked aside by Yuuma’s protests, struggles to sit upright and flip through the article. “It can’t have happened all that long ago if Leo Corporation is still headed by the Akabas –”

“That makes no sense,” Yuuma interrupts. “No sense _at all._ My friends Sakaki-kun, and his friends, couldn’t have fought in any war. Whatever happened must’ve occurred _eons_ ago when everyone was first getting the hang of dueling, like during the Shadow Games. Heartland City has nothing about this except for this article.”

“Perhaps this isn’t meant to be known by Heartland citizens –”

“You can’t keep an entire war from a city.” Yuuma grabs the tablet from Durbe’s hands and scrolls through it with such vigour that the kanji blur together into solid black lines. “This isn’t true and I’m going to prove it. What happened with you guys and Astral happened – that wasn’t a dream – and that means whatever happened _here_ couldn’t happen.”

“Maybe your dear friend Sakaki is keeping something from you,” a voice calls from the staircase. Vector descends in a baggy t-shirt and plaid pyjamas pants, looking far too awake for the bags under his eyes. “You two getting cuddly on the couch or something? You could at least bother to be quiet with your proclamations. Some of us like to sleep in on the weekends.”

Durbe stiffens, attempting to put some distance between himself and Yuuma; at the same time, Yuuma crawls closer to see the tablet.

On the final steps, Vector vaults over the bannister and clears the remaining steps before either of them can push him away. He peers down at the tablet with a smirk tucked in the corner of his mouth. “My oh my, what do we have here?” He squints before looking up at Durbe. “What are you even reading?”

“A very suspicious article.”

Vector shrugs and thumbs at the screen. He stops at the photo of the Lancers posing together, and deep within his throat he chuckles. “Your dear friend Sakaki was into some shady stuff if he was working with the Lancers. Academia killed just as many people as me.”

Durbe sighs. “Do you know anything about the Lancers, Vector? Anything that can help us?”

Tapping his chin thoughtfully, Vector takes a moment to think. Then, “Isn’t it suspicious when dopplegangers are involved?”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Yuuma asks.

Vector points to the purple-haired girl, who starkly resembles Yuzu if she were a bit sportier and grungier. “Same face shape, same eyes. The only difference is the hair. Maybe you should ask your dear friend Hiiragi where she was when the Lancers were formed.”

“Maybe she doesn’t know …?”

Vector shakes his head. “How can this girl exist and someone not being confused that Hiiragi isn’t here? Or, if you’re too uncomfortable asking Hiiragi, ask one of the Akabas. They were funding this dimension-saving expedition –”

“Dimensions?” Durbe interrupts. “Where did you read about that?”

“It’s - a - secret!” Vector mocks, raising a finger for each syllable. “Maybe this did all happen in another timeline, and it’s been forgotten.”

“Or we forgot about it,” Durbe says. “That might be why some of these duelists sound unfamiliar.” Durbe turns towards Yuuma and holds up the tablet. “Has Sakaki-san said anything about these duelists? Is there anyone on here that he’s never talked about, or you think might not even exist in this timeline?”

“Eh?” Yuuma shakes his head. “No, no, nothing like that has ever happened. All the videos Sakaki-kun has shown me are recent, and I haven’t met everyone but I know who they are.” Yuuma pulls out his D-Gazer and opens the most recent video file: Yuuya, Yuzu, and the blue-haired kid making pancakes and teasing one another about not burning them.

“He’s not a Lancer,” Durbe says, pointing at the blue-haired kid. “Who’s that?”

“Sora, I think,” Yuuma says.

Vector chuckles. He crawls over the rest of the couch and flops next to Yuuma, who falls against Durbe and leaves them all in a tired pile. “If Sakaki is hanging out with Shiunin Sora, he’s engaging with the enemy. Shiunin Sora is an Academia soldier, same as this guy.” Vector taps the face of the Lancer in the corner, orange hair spiked downwards and wearing what Vector describes to Yuuma as a ‘shit-eating grin’.

“I don’t think that’s the whole story,” Yuuma replies. “Maybe we don’t know as much about Academia as we thought.”

“Befriending the enemy again, dear Yuuma?” Vector leans close. “That gets you in trouble sometimes.”

On his other side, Durbe groans. “If we didn’t trust the enemy, none of us would be here, especially not you.”

Vector laughs outright. Shifting his position on the couch to wrap around Yuuma, he continues: “I wonder what happened to this girl.”

“Serena?” Durbe points to her name.

“I can just ask Sakaki-kun about the Lancers,” Yuuma says. He sits upright, wriggling away from Durbe and out of Vector’s grasp. “Sakaki-kun isn’t going to get all suspicious because I ask him about his friends. I’ll make it normal, even! I’ll ask him if he has any videos of Serena, who I read up was a good duelist.”

“That’s still suspicious,” Durbe points out.

“Well it’s _less_ suspicious than what either of you two are planning. Sakaki-kun and Hiiragi-chan aren’t wary of me and I won’t give them any reason to. I’ll ask them myself and figure this out!”

Durbe tries to hide his chuckle behind his hand. “You should ask Kaito about them. If the Lancers were a part of Leo Corporation, then you’ll want information about what they’ve been up to. You’re not going to get that from tabloids: you’ll need more articles like this about any secret projects that have been going on. If anyone knows about the Akabas, it’ll be Kaito and Chris. I’ve heard they’re studying the effects of Entertainment dueling on mental psyche –”

“Kaito and Chris think Entertainment dueling is dangerous, and so does Vector,” Yuuma states. “I don’t need everyone telling me I’m going to break my neck dueling with Sakaki-kun and Hiiragi-chan.”

“Mental effects,” Durbe repeats. “Entertainment dueling takes its toll on one’s mind. Constantly engaging the audience is strenuous.”

“Sakaki-kun makes it look effortless.”

“Your dear friend,” Vector begins, “is a natural performer: he’s been dueling all his life, and Sakaki’s are born entertainers. However, I wouldn’t be so sure that he’s immune to the mental strain of Entertainment dueling. His father disappeared, maybe because he couldn’t keep up with his audience.”

It doesn’t make any sense to Yuuma though. “How can it be so difficult to bring smiles to the audience?”

A sly grin spreads over Vector’s face. “Because, Yuuma-kun, not all audiences want smiles.” He chuckles. “You remember our conversation with Alit? In his time as a gladiator, you brought smiles through violence and fighting. Throughout the ages violence has been equally praised as a way to amp up the energy in a duel. Who’s to say that violence has never played a role in Entertainment dueling?”

Yuuma shakes his head. “None of these duelists are hurting each other,” he argues. “My friends aren’t happy when others are in pain, and Entertainment dueling is nothing like bloody duels –”

“How so? Tell me, dear Yuuma, when monsters attack one another, are they fighting? Is one of them hurt? Do duelists get off of that pain and the winning blow? These violent duels are hidden under fancy technology and bubbly graphics, when really all of us duelists, from the Shadow Games to the Fusion Invasion, have been hurting one another. You’re going to call us all marytrs? I hurt when I duel.”

Thee thought doesn’t stick in Yuuma’s mind though. If Yuuya was truly hurting someone through his duel, he wouldn’t be smiling. Dueling with Yuuya was anything but violent. The thought makes Yuuma shiver, but he holds tight to his belief. Dueling _has_ been violent, and duelists could get hurt even from Entertainment dueling, but there is no thought in Yuuma’s mind that his friends could ever hurt someone from dueling.

“I don’t believe you,” Yuuma says. “Dueling brings hope and smiles. Entertainment dueling isn’t violent no matter what history tells you.”

Vector raises his hands. “Fine then. Don’t believe me. But Yuuma, keep an eye on who you trust with dueling. If what happened in this article is true and none of us remember it, who’s to say that far worse things have been forgotten?”

With one last groan, Durbe pushes Vector off him and slides free. The two Barians exchange a serious look before Vector acquiesces, bows, and heads to the kitchen for a latte or coffee or whatever caffeinated concoction he wants today. Durbe lingers for a moment longer, unsure of how to respond. Yuuma doesn’t think there is a response to Vector’s comment. If they’ve forgotten Entertainment dueling, that means there should be no worries that such duels will ever become violent again. Yuuma won’t argue that all duels are peaceful – he’s experienced his fair share of painful, dangerous duels – but he won’t stand to let Vector, or anyone else, tarnish the name of Entertainment dueling.

“Just … be safe,” Durbe says at last. “I don’t believe Vector either, but there’s method to his madness, or however that human phrase goes. Don’t overlook what’s in plain sight.”

“I won’t,” Yuuma says. With a wave, Yuuma adds, “Thanks, Durbe. That cleared up my suspicions.”

If Durbe had more to say, Yuuma misses it when he slams the mansion’s door closed and dashes down the cobblestone pathway. The sun has fully peeked over the mountains, and still most the Barians are asleep in their beds. It’s far too quiet for this hour. Yuuma had hoped he’d see Shark or Rio, but at least Durbe and Vector had advice for him. If anyone knows about history and gruesome duels, it would be both of them.

Visiting Kaito sounds nice, but it’s a trip across town that Yuuma doesn’t want to make. Instead, he calls Kaito up on his D-Gazer. It takes several tries to get through, and when Yuuma does hear Kaito’s voice it’s groggy as if he’s just woken up.

“Yes?” Kaito answers.

“Kaito, it’s Yuuma!” he shouts into the receiver.

“Gods Yuuma, do you know what time of the morning it is?”

Yuuma ignores Kaito’s mumbling and presses on: “Listen Kaito, I need you to tell me all you know about Entertainment dueling. _Everything:_ the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is super important for my research, and I need your opinion!”

It takes several seconds for Kaito to respond, and when he does it’s with a long “Why?” that lingers in the receiver. Clearing his throat, Kaito continues: “Why? What do you need to know about those?”

Yuuma adjusts the D-Gazer as he heads towards the train station. He balances the device in front of him and regularly checks ahead of him; the streets are slowly but surely filling up with midday shoppers. “You and Chris were acting all weird about Entertainment dueling when I was last over, and now Durbe and Vector are acting weird too. What’s up with everyone?”

“Suspicions,” Kaito answers.

“You can tell me,” Yuuma says. He sits down at a bench before the central station and yawns loudly. “I want to know what everyone else knows.”

“It’s _suspicions,”_ Kaito repeats. “Entertainment duels used to be violent sports that brought out the demons of other people. Chris and I have studied extensively what Leo Corporation was involved in during the early years of Entertainment dueling, but most of that research is top-secret and off-limits to standard scientists. I wouldn’t worry about it so much if your friends are just dueling –”

“My best friend was a Lancer!” Yuuma exclaims.

This stops Kaito from rambling on. He catches on his next words, and the conversations falls silent.

“Sakaki Yuuya was a Lancer and there’s a picture of him in an article. Does this mean he was fighting against some greater evil?”

Kaito still doesn’t respond. Frustrated, Yuuma clenches the D-Gazer tight in his hand and squeezes his eyes shut. “Kaito, we’ve all been there before. We’ve been in a war before. If you know about those dark Entertainment duels, tell me. I want to know more, and Sakaki-kun probably won’t tell me. I want to understand _him._ He’s my friend –”

“You can’t get involved in that,” Kaito says. “It happened a long time ago and all the glitches have been fixed. No more evil duels, no more magic, and no more alternates –”

“Alternates?” Yuuma says.

Kaito hangs up on him.

Yuuma squeezes the D-Gazer tighter. Unlike Durbe and Vector who were quite comfortable giving out information, Kaito dwells in suspense and mystery. Yuuma can’t imagine Haruto knowing anything secret, and Chris won’t give up information if it puts Yuuma’s life in danger. Frustrated, Yuuma counts on his hands the number of people he can count on to tell him more: the Barians, his sister (if she doesn’t find out what he’s using the information for), and Kotori.

The train enters the station, followed by a gentle breeze that spins his Emperor’s Key in the bright sunlight.

His mind will not waver. Yuuma clasps the pendant and looks up at the sky, and thinks to himself, _Entertainment dueling still brings smiles._


	6. Why Can't Everyone Get Along? Don't We All Live in the Same Big Dimension?

In elementary school, Yuuma remembers being fascinated with Shadow Duels. Akari had been researching banned dueling methods for a friend, and Yuuma had been interested to know how Dueling had changed over the years, regardless of whether or not he agreed with the particular strategy. Akari had told him that long ago several Ancient figures had played Shadow Games with terrible stakes that hurt and killed many duelists. Those duelists played all sorts of dark games, from tabletop games to chess to even made-up activities, all with terrible consequences for the loser. Yuuma had promised never to duel so savagely.

Since then, dueling has evolved and taken even more unpleasant twists and turns. Xyz Summoning isn’t without its flaws, but everyone Yuuma knows now is a kind, playful duelist.

Therefore, how can Entertainment dueling still be worrying? Yuuma can’t think of any duelists who have used such dueling methods to harm others. Both You Show and LDS seem like schools intent on teaching fun ways of involving the audience and performing with one’s monsters. Yuuma can’t imagine anyone ever _teaching_ how to duel maliciously, and no such instructions have ever been recorded.

This means that Yuuya can’t be at fault. Yuuma just _knows_ that whatever Yuuya is doing is towards the goals of his audience. Therefore, that morning Yuuma hurries to Maiami City with an extra skip in his step. The sun beams down on his red and black hair and catches the juts and curves of his bangs. Wanting to appear cool and chic, he’d borrowed clothes from Shark - bright colours, strong angles, and bedazzled sleeves.

Shark had also come with him, looking thoroughly pissed off with Vector slung around one arm and Rio on the other. Alit was out of the house when Yuuma had stopped by, and it was a miracle that everyone was awake before noon.

“So we’re not dueling?” Rio asks. “Are they even duelists?”

“‘Course they are!” Yuuma replies. “We’re just going to the arcade today. Sakaki says that there are lots of new games and you can win great prizes, or something like that! Plus he’s going to bring his friends Hiiragi and Shiunin-kun too!”

A slow grin slips over Vector’s face. “You remember what I said, right, Yuuma-kun?”

“Shiunin-kun is Sakaki’s kind friend. Whatever we know about him we can’t believe until we meet him properly. You can’t know someone until you meet them.”

“This is still suspicious,” Shark says, shoving his hands in his pockets. “You’re too trusting and forgiving, and you’ll get us in trouble by befriending all these strangers.”

Yuuma crosses his arms. “They aren’t _strangers,_ Shark. They’re friendly duelists. Besides, any friend of Sakaki’s is a friend of mine. He even asked for you guys to come. Someone who hurts others wouldn’t ask for friends to come together –”

“Unless he wants to hurt all of us,”  Vector says, “but I’ll believe you, dear Yuuma-kun. Until we have reason to believe any of these strange duelists will hurt us, let’s entertain them.”

Being the only one who hasn’t seen Entertainment dueling first hand seems to confuse Rio. She asks about the tactics and strategies, and how Pendulum dueling is a Summoning style and Entertainment dueling is a performative method. Yuuma explains at length that he is an Entertainment Xyz duelist to prove that anyone can put on a show. When she only becomes more confused, he tells her, “Just wait until you see it up close! It’s a real spectacle.”

When they get off the train, rather than turning right down the street towards You Show, Yuuma follows the street forward. The sidewalks widen and the roads narrow as they enter the heart of the city; flanked by large, looming buildings, Yuuma feels like he could make a wrong turn at any time. There are large flowerbeds sprouting from the sides of the pathway which are dotted with daffodils, pansies, and rhododendrons. The colours are bright and cheery, so Yuuma tugs several of them out and makes them into a small bouquet.

“Who’s that for?” Vector asks, voice laced with laughter.

“Sakaki,” Yuuma says. With a laugh, Yuuma adds, “Doesn’t this look like his hair?”

Shark barely smothers his laughter. His cheeks heat up, and he snaps, “Don’t give a guy flowers - that’s embarrassing!”

“I’m giving it to a _friend,”_ Yuuma objects. “Do you want flowers too?”

Before Shark can open his mouth to retort, Yuuma snatches two stalks of verbena - small, purple flowers blossoming up and down the green stem – and holds them out to his friend. “These look like your hair, don’t they?”

Shark snatches the flowers and then shoves them at his sister, who huffs and passes them off to Vector. The exchange makes Yuuma giggle.

“You can’t just give people flowers,” Shark argues. “It gives all the wrong messages, and your friend is going to think we’re all weird over in Heartland. Just give him something sweet and sentimental like a kind message, or tell him you want to play a game with him at the arcade.”

Rio nods. “If he’s a performer, you need to find an idol game. I bet he’ll love those.”

Yuuma still holds onto the flowers.

The Maiami arcade happens to be farther into town that Yuuma thought. The large building rests underneath an office; nonetheless, the two floors the arcade occupies are large, open areas crowded with games. Neon signs point to different attractions and machines spread out through both levels; another sign points to the cafeteria, which Shark hurries to buy something from. With the dim lights and loud sounds, it seems impossible to find _anyone_ in this building.

Yuuya finds him though. He emerges from the crowd, untangling himself from the other people gathered around a DDR machine, and he waves to Yuuma and the others. “You found your way here!” he says, shouting over the noise of the games and gamers.

“This is such a cool place!” Yuuma exclaims. He points at the claw and crane machines lining one side of the room and says, “That alone is probably more than the biggest arcade in Heartland – how does this all fit in here?”

The comment makes Yuuya laugh: a light, carefree giggle that manages to be heard over the chatter. “Like I said, this is the biggest one.” He turns around and calls something out. Yuzu emerges from the crowd first. Her hair is pulled tight into a bun that still lets loose small ringlets of pink hair. Next to her is a boy Yuuma has only seen in videos. Shiunin Sora is shorter than everyone and dressed as a young child in a sailor uniform. From the corner of his mouth is the stick to a large lollipop that he occasionally pulls out to lick.

Yuuya catches Yuuma staring at Sora and blushes. “Ah, you two haven’t met before! Sora, this is Tsukumo-kun, my classmate at You Show. He’s an Xyz duelist and soon to be a legendary Entertainer.”

Yuuma feels his cheeks grow hot at the compliment. Sora, however, looks down at his feet abashedly.

“Tsukumo Yuuma,” he says, holding out his fist. When Sora only holds out his hand, Yuuma adds, “Make a fist and I’ll bump it with you. Honestly, Sakaki didn’t know how to do this either.”

“Hehe, must be a Heartland thing,” Sora says. He closes his hand in a fist and lightly bumps it against Yuuya’s. “Shiunin Sora, Fusion duelist, Yuuya’s student, and Yuzu’s teacher.”

The title leaves Yuuma’s mouth hanging by its hinges. “You’re Sakaki’s student?” He looks up at Yuuya, whose cheeks have also gone red as tomatoes. “You didn’t tell me you’re a teacher too? That means we’ve both helped others become better, stronger duelists!”

“I’ve heard about you,” Sora says. “The junior youth class talks avidly about your energetic dueling style. We’ll have to have a match someday – I’d love to duel an Xyz student.”

From the lightheartedness of the conversation, Yuuma forgets who else is with him. Vector’s words slice through the breezy atmosphere. “Oh really? A Fusion duelist against an Xyz duelist? I’ve heard those methods are quite contradictory.”

The comment makes Sora flinch and he doesn’t retaliate. Yuzu, however, doesn’t back down: “They’re quite complementary,” she states, “and even against one another, the matches are quite beautiful. Tsukumo and I dueled recently and noticed how lovely Fusion vs. Xyz duels can be, so it can’t be right to lump dueling styles together.”

“I’m just saying I’ve heard some rumours –”

“Those don’t matter,” Yuuma retorts. “We’re not even here to duel - we’re here to have fun!” Before Vector can get another word in, Yuuma says, “Maiami duelists, this is Vector, Rio, and Shark. We’re Heartland Academy junior high school students and all of us will someday be Entertainment duelists.”

“I don’t need to be,” Shark says, but his mumbles are hushed under Rio’s fervent questioning. “Are you all from the duel school?” she asks.

The three Maiami duelists laugh. “Technically,” Yuzu says, “but Sora here doesn’t go anymore. He used to be an LDS student, and then he studied at You Show and now …”

“And now I’m just a duelist. I spend a lot of time at Duel Academy training there, and then I bring my knowledge back to You Show duel school. Hopefully, You Show can teach all the Summoning methods like LDS. Actually –” Sora smiles widely at Yuuma “– now that I’ve met you, You Show can have both a Fusion and an Xyz instructor. We’d just need one more teacher to complete the program.”

“You travel to another school too?” Vector says. “What’s Academia like?”

“Larger than both LDS and You Show. It was once a boarding school for Fusion duelists, and so it has dorms, a cafeteria, a sports program - anything you can imagine a typical school has. You should come sometime - I’ll give you a personal tour.”

The conversation dissolves into banal chatter after that. Yuuma keeps one eye on Vector in case he says anything upsetting to Sora or to the other duelists, but the Barian keeps his mouth closed and leaves to go play a poker-style game. Rio lingers for a moment until Sora and Yuzu take her away to show her a crane game that has Duel Monster keychains. Shark stands stiffly next to Yuuma with a bag of popcorn, but wanders away before Yuuma can invite him to do anything with Yuuya.

“Well,” Yuuya says, “it looks like it’s just us together. What do you want to try?”

Rio’s words still ring in Yuuma’s ears. “Let’s try an idol game. It’s like a dance performance, so we should be pros at it.”

It isn’t. The game involves several complex patterns and movements that Yuuya masters and Yuuma fails. When the music starts, Yuuya picks up the rhythm and rolls with it. His feet and arms move in sync to the beat that fills the space around them. Each step and twist seems to respond to the melody, rising up and down to the uplifting tempo. Yuuma struggles to match Yuuya’s pace; his feet slip and slide on the floor and his hands, captured by sensors ahead of him, never seem to land in the same places as the shadow dancing on the screen.

The next time they play, they dance together. The shadows of the idols on the screen begin by tapping their feet and clapping their hands. As the beat rises, so do the difficulty of movements: Yuuma’s hips sway to the motion of the music. Then the shadows come together, and Yuuma throws himself forward to catch Yuuya’s hands. They meet in the middle of the dance field, Yuuma’s toes touching Yuuya’s, hands together. Their bodies parallel one another until the music changes and they spin to break apart.

“You’re really good at this, Sakaki!” Yuuma says. “This game is too easy for you!”

“This one’s my favourite,” Yuuya tells him. “It’s funny that you suggested it because I was going to say the same thing. Dueling is just like dancing when you think about it. Here, let me show you.” On the touchscreen of the device Yuuya fiddles with the controls. There is a free routine option that lets the idol practice whatever moves they know. When the music starts and the colours blur on the ground, Yuuya begins to dance.

“See, Yuuma - dueling and dancing aren’t so different. When we draw –” one arm arcs forward and around him, leading him into a spin that flutters his jacket around his shoulders “ – or when we Summon.” This time Yuuya strikes downwards, spreading his palms out wide in sync to the strong strum of the guitar. As the beat rapidly increases, Yuuya’s feet tap across the floor. “When you Duel, you use your moves to express yourself. Your deck becomes an agent to fuel your passion.”

With a final jump, Yuuya lands for the last note. “Poetic, huh?”

“Shark would say it’s _sentimental_ and I agree!”

Yuuma tries to deliver a speech while dancing as well, but his feet twist together and knot themselves in awkward ways that make him stumble before Yuuya. Halfway through the song, Yuuya jumps in; a second shadow appears on the screen, clasping Yuuma’s avatar’s hands and swaying to the beat.

“This song has a steady rhythm,” Yuuya explains, “so here, let’s dance together.”

Dancing solo is hard. Yuuma hasn’t done anything by himself in years; he’s always been with his friends or family, and when he was with Astral he was never alone. Having someone next to him to complete the pair lifts Yuuma’s spirits and makes him catch every note of the song. With his hands in Yuuya’s, they glide across the dance floor and create their own beat. Nothing stops them except the end of the song, which ends on a long note that draws them together.

“Ladies and Gentlemen!” Yuuya says. “What a performance from the greatest Entertainers in history.”

And then Yuuma hears _clapping,_ coming just a few steps away from Rio, Sora, and Yuzu. Each of them has a small, plastic ball in their hands from the crane game. Their attention is riveted to Yuuma and Yuuya, who break apart with a laugh. Yuuya doesn’t let go of his hand though; rather, he pulls him down for a low bow that only makes the others clap harder.

“Born Entertainers!” Yuzu comments.

“Teach, we should try next,” Sora says.

Yuuma steps aside to let Sora dance. Then Sora and Yuzu switch, which Yuuma learns is quite the pair when Sora sweeps Yuzu off her feet and dances circles around her. Yuuya jokes that they’ve had some practice together since Sora is who taught Yuzu Fusion Summoning. Despite not knowing anyone, Rio jumps right into dance with Yuzu, who swings her along for a tag-team dance that involves several jumps and flips.

“What’s dueling like in Heartland?” Yuuma hears Yuzu say. “All of you seem quite good at the performative aspects of Entertainment dueling.”

“This is just for show.” Rio laughs. “Honestly, some duelists keep their feet on the floor, but myself and my friends like to put on a good show.”

“The next person you’ll have to meet is Mizael,” Yuuma adds.

“The most dramatic duelist you will ever meet,” Rio says.

Yuzu smiles. “Good, but then I’ll have to bring Dennis too. He’s an Entertainment duelist like Yuuya with a Performage deck, with a bit of extra pizzaz to put on a real show for you.”

When everyone has had their turn with the idol game, Sora suggests they play a luck-based game. The rules are simple, he explains: hit the buzzer at just the right time to win tokens, and aim for the jackpot. He goes first and misses, but still ends up winning enough tickets to feel satisfied for spending tokens. Rio and Yuuya both fumble, and Yuzu gets only a few more than Sora. The game doesn’t seem to have any mechanic, and Sora grumbles that it might be guaranteed to ensure that no one gets the jackpot.

With a cry of “Kattobingu!”, Yuuma slams his fist down on the button.

He hits the jackpot.

Tickets begin popping up on the screen, which are then downloaded onto his game card which saves all tokens and tickets. The others gasp; Sora’s hand lands on his shoulder.

“How did you _do_ that?” he exclaims.

“Luck,” Yuuma says. “There’s no skill or strategy to this. You’ve just gotta take a chance and put your best foot forward.”

The rest of the games are relieving from the excitement of the idol game and the crane game. When their game cards are returned and their points counted up, Yuuma has the highest. At once he is at the prize counter with his nose pressed to the glass, eager to find the biggest and best prize. He considers getting the largest plush he can find just so he can tell Shark that he, too, has a life-size toy that he’ll sleep with. However, what catches Yuuma’s eyes are several small friendship bracelets similar to the ones Kotori once made in class with colored thread. These ones are far more complex than what Yuuma remembers, perhaps made by machine rather than human hands, but the sentiment is still there.

Yuuma buys ten of them. He distributes them out to each of his friends at the arcade, and pockets  the remaining ones to give to Kotori and the other Barians. “To celebrate this wonderful moment!” he says.

Rio, Sora, and Yuzu chime in with, “This is so sweet!”

Shark shoves his in his pocket. “Thanks.”

Yuuya holds his for several moments, running his thumb over the red and green designs. “You didn’t buy anything for yourself …”

“Well I wanted to share,” Yuuma says. “Here, let me tie it on for you.”

“This is very thoughtful, Tsukumo,” Yuuya says as Yuuma ties together the two ends and adjusts the bracelet on Yuuya’s wrist. It hangs around his red wristbands, which make the green thread pop out.

Yuuya opens his mouth to say something more, but Sora beats him to it by saying, “Why don’t we get something to eat now?” They gather back together at the cafeteria adjacent to the arcade. Most of the items are small, sugary snacks that make Yuuma’s mouth water as he waits in line. He considers eating it all, but in the end he and Vector decide to split a package of fries.

Having his friends apart, Yuuma soon realises, was for the best. Vector would even use that same phrase if he had the audacity to think before he speaks. But no, the moment they cram into a corner booth around a circular table, Vector begins asking suspicious, awkward questions over his meal.

“So Shiunin, how come you’re teaching over at Fusion? Are you from around there?”

Sora’s smile seems fake to Yuuma. “Yeah, I actually went to primary school there. Then I joined LDS two years ago, and when I didn’t like it there and was interested in Pendulum dueling, I came to You Show –”

“What about Pendulum dueling interested you?”

Sora swallows. “Yuuya, to be honest …”

Vector taps on his chin thoughtfully. “You know, I was reading up about Maiami City’s big tournament last year, and while you participated in it, I don’t see your name anywhere after that. What happened?”

“Injury,” Sora says quickly. “It happens in big competitions all the time –”

Vector opens his mouth to say more, but Yuuma beats him to it. “Vector, maybe we should ask everyone about Pendulum dueling, or Fusion dueling. I bet we could learn a lot from each other!”

The comment makes Vector roll his eyes. “If I wanted to engage in mindless chatter, I would’ve stayed home and entertained Alit and Durbe.” Turning back to the Maiami duelists, he adds, “You lot are far too suspicious for my liking. Your tournament ended with eight finalists who, I’m told by mysterious sources, disappeared off the face of this planet for days. You were all gone during that time –”

“How is that any of your business?” Yuzu interrupts.

“If we’re going to be dueling with you, we should know what kinds of demons you’ve got hidden –”

Sora bites his lip. “It’s nothing,” he says. “Nothing had happened.”

“Promise!” Yuuya adds. “Tsukumo, your friend is worried about something that’s been resolved. That happened long ago, and all steps have been taken to make sure another tournament never goes that far astray. The tournament last month went off without a hitch. Your friend has every right to be worried about what happened in the past, but Entertainment and Pendulum dueling have never been safer.”

Yuuma nods. He turns to Vector and sets a hand on his arm. “I _told_ you so: no demons, no dark magic, and no death count.”

They try to move the conversation away from such saddening topics, but at every mention of Fusion or Entertainment dueling Vector is quick to challenge them. It only seems to upset Yuzu, who shuts down any flames at Pendulum duelists. However, Sora becomes smaller each time, curling in on himself and becomes more reserved than Yuuma would’ve expected of the Fusion duelist. If Sora went to Academia, was he against Pendulum dueling?

Yuuma’s thoughts are interrupted by a _slam!_ of hands on the table. Yuzu looks livid staring across the table at Vector; everyone else has gone deathly silent.

“Will you _stop_ targeting us? Seriously, _why?_ Why do you need to know about that? None of us are Academia soldiers, _which don’t even exist anymore,_ and nothing about Entertainment is dangerous. The tabloids are lying to you, and frankly I’m sick of hearing you pick at us.”

Vector just grins. Shark and Rio both look ready to strangle him, but Yuuma is frozen in fear. His friends are fighting. Yuuma can’t think of anything to bring them back down.

“I once heard that Entertainment duels were savage fights where duelists _died.”_

Yuzu balls her hands in fists. “Wherever you’re hearing that from, they’re lying to you.”

“Is that why they took it out of the history books?” Vector muses. “If you all were a part of it, perhaps as Lancers or simply onlookers, how come you talk about it as if it was so long ago? According to your friend Shiunin, wouldn’t this have all happened last year? And no mention of it anywhere, as if time was simply _rewritten_ –”

“Vector, _enough,”_ Shark snaps.

Vector turns to them, aghast. “You’re just going to avoid it? You drag up my backstory but you’ll let this slide? Entertainment duelists attacked one another; it was a sport as equally gory as gladiator matches. And that’s not even mentioning what happened with the Lancers.” With a sly smile to the Maiami duelists, Vector says, “You all were against the Fusion duelists, right? That means Shiunin over here was on the other side.”

Sora sinks lower into his seat.

“See?” Vector says. “They’re _lying_ to you, dear Yuuma.”

Yuuma doesn’t hear any of it though. He scrunches his eyes up and looks away from Vector. “That doesn’t matter.”

“Doesn’t matter?” Vector echoes. “Even considering what I have done, I’ve told you everything. They’re keeping _secrets_ from you. I wouldn’t trust them with anything about us –”

“Stop,” Yuuya says. “We don’t need to be dragging up the past –”

“Because it hurts to hear the truth?” Vector folds his hands on the table. “You lot must’ve been present for the dimensional drama that seems to have been swept under the rug. There’s a reason Real Solid Vision - your fancy dueling system - has so many updates. There’s a reason why Entertainment dueling is heavily monitored. There’s a reason why there were eight finalists who disappeared. You went to another dimension, didn’t you?”

“You can’t do that,” Rio says.

Vector nods. “You can. Only recently have those bridges been in place to connect Heartland to Maiami to the City and to Academia. Didn’t that come as a peaceful way to bridge together the dimensions?”

Sora stands and makes for the door. Yuuma watches as Yuuya crawls out of the booth and, rather than tug Sora back, heads with him out the door. He looks over his shoulder once, catches Yuuma’s eyes, and shrugs.

The door closes before Yuuma can apologise.

Yuzu stands and levels them all with a stare. “The cities are all together because we weren’t ever meant to be separated. That _does not_ mean you can dig up our past like it’s hot-off-the-press news. If you weren’t involved in it, stay out of it.” She storms past them and out the door; it closes on her retreating figure that heads across the street, possibly back to her house or to wherever she thinks Sora and Yuuya might be.

For a moment, Yuuma doesn’t know what to say. It had been going so well: the lights and the music had filled his heart. But then everyone had begun talking, and what happened in the past didn’t _stay_ in the past. Yuuma’s heart feels heavy that it drags his entire body down and he can’t but show a bit of sadness. It had been such a good day …

“You’re a real dick, you know that?” Shark says to Vector. “If anyone has a bad past, it’s you. Stop digging up up drama like it’ll somehow make this exciting. You’re just hurting others.”

A hand tugs at Yuuma’s shoulder; it’s Rio, offering him a sympathetic smile as she leads him out of the arcade and down the road. Shark follows stiffly behind, hands in his pockets and a ‘don’t fuck with me’ expression clear on his pointed face. Vector tags behind them; they can’t ditch him when they all need to take the same train home. Vector doesn’t keep his mouth shut on the way home, but no one has the energy to argue with him.

At the crossroads between Yuuma’s house and the Kamishiro Mansion, Yuuma tearily waves goodbye. “Thanks for coming with me,” he says, half-turned and ready to head home.  “I had fun.”

“Don’t lie to yourself,” Shark says. “You’re crying because of what this idiot here said.” He jabs a finger at Vector, who kicks small rocks across the pavement.

“I don’t think they’ll take what he said to heart,” Rio says, “and if they do, they can’t hold you accountable."

Vector chuckles. “It’s for the best that we all knew,” he says. “You were going to find out anyway.”

If they weren’t already leaving on an awkward note, this cements it. Yuuma waves goodbye once more and heads down the busy street to his house; the Barians head back to the train station, where they’ll travel up to their fancy mansion where everyone lives in relative harmony. But Yuuma? He lives with his family that he’s had to keep more and more secrets from. Not only can’t he tell them about what happened because that would be admitting to going to duel school, but he can’t even tell them about the dimensions.

The more Yuuma thinks about it, the more his brain hurts. Yuuma remembers when they built the bridges into the different cities, but he’d never heard them called dimensions before. Furthermore, these areas hadn’t been hidden because of some dimensional conflict. If that had happened, Yuuma is certain he would’ve heard about it in the media. During the Barian War, there was news coverage of disturbing weather patterns and unexplainable disappearances. Surely that should have happened in Maiami.

Then there’s the worry about who else is from a different city. Sora had said he was from Academia, which is adjacent to Heartland. Yuuma has only dreamed of travelling across the United Sea to see Academia which, until Vector had spoiled it for him, Yuuma had thought was a prestigious boarding school for pro-level Fusion duelists.

Yuuma has met no one from the City.

But none of that matters though. The dimensional cities sound like the Parallel Worlds, bound together by fate and magic. If Yuuma can live alongside Astralites and Barians, then he can’t see himself having any difficulty with Fusion, Synchro, and Pendulum duelists. Akari and Gran might not be happy with his choices, but Yuuma will be _damned_ if he bases his opinions on where someone comes from and how they duels.

His hands clench into fists so tight that they leave his fingers aching.

They drop when he reaches the door. He greets his sister and grandmother, both who are in the kitchen cooking up dinner.

“How are your friends?” Akari asks from behind the counter. A baby blue apron is tied snug around her front; the cloth is lightly dusted with flour from several round dumplings that rest on the counter. She brushes her floury fingers on the apron and then crosses her arms. “No trouble, right?”

“No trouble,” Yuuma promises. He flashes her a bright smile. “I promise.”

She believes him. Yuuma scurries back up to his room before his facade breaks; he bursts into his room just as the tears begin to spill.

Vector can’t tell him to stop seeing Yuuya and Yuzu. Whatever happened last year or long ago has nothing to do with Yuuya, and even if it did Yuuma still thinks he’d forgive Yuuya. So what if people got hurt? They were taken care of by Maiami duel medics. So what if something even worse happened?  His friends _survived_ the war as Lancers and combatants of great evil. Yuuma can’t imagine being worried for the safety of his friends when clearly they are able to take care of themselves on their own.

Yuuma curls up on his hammock and tugs at his Emperor’s Key. _Astral, do you ever feel like you can’t fix everyone? I want them all to change with me. Pendulum dueling is a masterpiece born to take the stage. Yuuya’s smile is so bright; I want to see that smile more and more! Hey, Astral, tell me what you’d do. Tell me how to fix it so I can help everyone. I believe in their resolute hearts and unwavering smiles. Tell me how I can bring it to them!”_

The only reply Yuuma gets the gentle caress of the wind and the soft moonlight stroking his cheeks. He falls asleep after sending three texts to Yuuya:

_Hey, sorry about before._

_Hey Sakaki, sorry. Vector probably didn’t mean what he said. Call or text me if you want to chat, ok?_

_Sorry._

* * *

Yuuma almost considers skipping class the next day. His head nearly faceplants into his desk from how much his eyes manage to roll back into his head. Last night he’d barely slept from waiting for Yuuya’s text - which never came - and when the morning came he felt so hopeless that it had taken all his energy to remain chipper through his morning classes. Now that he has a bit of lunch in his belly and a long day at duel school to prepare for, Yuuma feels his eyes growing heavier and heavier.

“Psst, Yuuma!” Kotori says. “Open your eyes so at the least the teacher thinks you’re paying attention sometimes.”

The task sounds arduous. Yuuma stretches his arms about his head and yawns loudly; he then settles back in his desk and tips his head forward, hoping to catch the last few minutes of sleep before his alarm goes off.

When Yuuma’s eyes next open, it’s to see Alit staring at him and frowning. He runs his hands through his dark locks as he whistles. “Wow, you really slept through this whole class!”  he comments. “I can’t believe you didn’t get caught.”

“Maybe that’s not a habit you should be proud of,” Vector says, and something about the way he enunciates each word worries Yuuma. However, Yuuma has yet to wake up fully. He stretches his arms again, and when he brings his gaze down past the sunny windows and empty classroom, it’s then Yuuma notices the time.

“Shit,” Yuuma curses under his breath. His hands rapidly fly to his pen, pencil case; everything is thrown together in his backpack and his rickety body struggles to get up out of his chair and out the door. “Shit, shit, shit!”

Kotori frowns. “Yuuma, language!”

“Kotori, I’m late!” Yuuma says. He pulls on his windbreaker and throws the remaining homework assignments in a messenger bag. “Duel school already started, and if I don’t leave now I’m going to be late for _both_ classes.”

Vector snickers. “I thought I warned you –”

“Those are my friends, Vector, just like you,” Yuuma snaps. His tone seems to stun everyone remaining in the room; across the hall, two students poke their heads out before closing their own door.

“Those are my friends and I’ll keep protecting them, just like I protected all of you. There’s nothing to be worried about now. I believe in all duelists, no matter where they come from or how they play.” When no one opens their mouth, perhaps too stunned by his outburst, Yuuma turns heels and makes it the doorway. Looking back over his shoulder, he states, “I’ll become an Entertainment duelist for all of you.”

Yuuma heads out the doorway. He runs as fast as he can to the train station where he anxiously paces while waiting for the train. His head spins and his stomach hurts, but he can’t eat or rest when he’ll miss teaching today, _and_ he’ll miss most of class with Yuuya and Yuzu. Yumma wanted to apologise to Yuuya before class, but now he’ll have to wait after class when it’s late and dark and he needs to run home and get to bed.

When the train finally gets there, Yuuma squeezes through people to make sure he gets on. This train is the busiest one of the day, and he doesn’t get a seat; instead, he’s crammed between tall, lanky adults that bump into him with each turn. Anxiously, Yuuma taps his foot. He checks his watch every second, and for a moment Yuuma thinks he’ll miss class too.

To keep his balance, Yuuma spreads his legs wide. He checks his D-Gazer for any texts from Yuuya or Yuzu about him being late, but there is nothing. In fact, his phone is blank from battery loss, so now Yuuma can’t text anyone to tell them he’ll be late.

By the time the train arrives in the Maiami Central Station almost 45 minutes later, Yuuma’s foot-tapping has become an earful for many of the passengers. He pockets his dead D-Gazer and pushes his way out of the train car; once free, he takes the stairs two at a time and drifts around the corner leading out of the station. His feet slap the ground as he runs faster than Yuuya’s heelies down the streets leading to the duel school.

Yuuya and Yuzu are waiting outside of the class, dressed in their red and blue school uniforms and holding their backpacks in front of them. They look up with wide eyes.

“There you are!” Yuzu says. “We’ve been waiting for you! We both called you, but all we got was a dial tone.”

Yuuma holds up his battery-dead D-Gazer sheepishly. “No battery left,” he explains. “Sorry,” he adds, “for being late and missing both classes.”

“Is that why you’re late?” Yuuya asks.

“Not really.” Yuuma looks down at his feet; now in Maiami without his heart pumping from adrenaline, Yuuma feels the sleepiness blanket his mind. As he yawns, he tries to say, “All this duel school stuff has got me sleepy and all. Sorry.”

The expressions on Yuuya and Yuzu’s faces are sympathetic.

“You’re exhausting yourself,” Yuuya says. “Why didn’t you say anything? Coach will give you time off if you need it, and I bet he’d cut you some slack if you told him about how far you’re travelling and how tiring this schedule is. You can’t duel your best while you’re half-asleep.”

Yuuma laughs, but sobers when he spots Yuzu’s expression.

“You can’t keep hurting yourself, Tsukumo. Do you want to keep dueling at You Show?”

 _More than anything,_ Yuuma wants to say. Dueling is his passion and his life goal. Every waking moment, and sometimes even in his sleep, all Yuuma can think about is dueling. He dreams of when he dueled with Shark and Astral and Kaito, and the fun times when he dueled in class afterwards. Yuuma dreams of dueling with Yuuya and Yuzu, and spinning around the field in a performative symphony that brings a warm smile to his face.

“I will always keep dueling,” Yuuma answers. “I’ll do anything to duel again with you two.”

Yuuya’s cheeks go cherry-red, and he laughs outright. “Come on, then. Coach is still inside and he probably wants to know that you made it here safe. We can talk to him about your schedule too.” Yuuya’s hand on his shoulder slips down to grasp at his fingers. “We’ll make it work, Tsukumo, because I want to duel again with you too.”


	7. To the Dimensions! Yuuma and Yuuya's Trip around Academia and City!

After all the talk from the week before about dueling and dimensions and Parallel Worlds, Yuuma sees it fit to visit Kaito. If anyone would know about such technology, it would be someone who studied the cosmic effects of dueling on the world. Vaguely, Yuuma remembers Kaito talking about his research as ‘finding infinite reaches of dueling within and between these fracturing universes” … or something equally fancy-worded and overly-complicated.

What Yuuma does remember about Kaito’s research is that he was working with Leo Corporation and their Real Solid Vision. The last time Yuuma visited Kaito, he remembered his and Chris’ suspicious expressions when he mentioned Entertainment dueling. Considering the facts that Vector has told him since then, Yuuma can only imagine that Chris and Kaito know more than whatever clickbait Vector finds on the Dark Web.

Yuuma considers inviting Yuuya along. He’s seen his friend every day this week, both during and outside of class. They’ve dueled, shared ice cream and crepes, and even returned to the arcade for Round 2 of the idol game. What happened last week is on the backburner of Yuuma’s mind when he remembers all the good times he’s had with Yuuya.

However, bringing Yuuya along might raise suspicions for Chris and Kaito, who don’t know Yuuya and have a strange interest in Entertainment duelists. Perhaps they believe whatever Vector has told him about demons and interdimensional battles between the different cities – Academia, City, Maiami, and Heartland – that resulted in a rewrite of time. It doesn’t make sense to Yuuma who can’t remember a time when there weren’t bridges leading to the other cities, even know he also can’t remember a time during his childhood when Akari took him to any of those cities.

It doesn’t rest too heavily on Yuuma’s mind when he hurries through the Heartland Tower lobby, up the spiral staircase leading into the living quarters, and once again stopping at the crossroads between the bedrooms and living space above, and the workspace below.

Yuuma chooses the workspace.

When Yuuma bursts open the door, he nearly hits Chris who stands in front of one of the tall, looming shelves with an old, decrepit textbook in one hand and a Solid Vision tablet in the other. He gasps when he sees Yuuma, nearly dropping both items, and then breathes a sigh of relief at Yuuma’s smile.

“Good morning, Yuuma. A knock would have been a kind warning.”

Yuuma laughs it off. In the centre of the room, Kaito curls over the desk; his fingers fiddle with several small screws that appear to have come out one of the Real Solid Vision machines. Further down the table, Yuuma spots the rest of the machine: its spherical form has been split in two to reveal hundreds of twisted wires bound together by twist-ties.

“What are you looking at?” Yuuma asks Kaito.

Without looking up, he replies, “Debating how much of this I can take apart and it will still work. These machines are powered by some miraculous technology; there’s nothing but lights and energy here, yet when the two connect the chemical reaction is a solid form that creates the realistic bodies of Duel Monsters. It’s far more complex than our own D-Gazers.”

Yuuma comes closer and peers at it. Other than the wires, Yuuma can’t see any magic or special technology powering it. In fact, it looks far too _normal_ to be able to produce Real Solid Vision.

“Are you sure you aren’t missing a part?”

“If I were,” Kaito snaps, “it wouldn’t work, but it does. Whatever the Akabas figured out is something far more complex than Chris and I could begin to imagine.”

Yuuma picks at the multicoloured wires and bolts inside the machine. Offhandedly, he says, “Well, maybe it’s dimensional magic.”

Chris looks up. “Pardon me?”

“Dimensional magic,” Yuuma repeats. “Vector was talking about it last week. He says that we don’t remember any major battles, but that’s because everyone’s memories were reset when the dimensions fused together and the four major cities were settled around the United Sea.”

His words catch Kaito’s attention. “A rewrite of time,” he mutters. “What else did Vector say about this?”

“He said it all happened when Academia attacked Heartland.”

Chris and Kaito both frown. Then Chris leans across the table to whisper something in Kaito’s ear, and Yuuma huffs indignantly. “You can’t have private conversations while I’m here – tell me too!”

“Yuuma,” Kaito says in his deadpan, adult-voice, even though Yuuma can now see he’s wearing Galaxy Eyes pyjama bottoms with his labcoat, “where did Vector hear about this?”

“From the internet,” Yuuma answers. “And yeah you aren’t supposed to believe everything on the internet, and Shark says you’re not even supposed to believe anything _Vector_ says, but still! Still, that means there’s a reason why I can go to duel school and learn Entertainment dueling!”

“Do the other dimensions seem to remember this? What about your friends from Maiami?”

Yuuma chews on his lip. “I think they know something, but none of them want to talk about it …”

These words only make Chris and Kaito frown more and whisper in each other’s ears. When they next break away, it’s Kaito who replies: “Yuuma, I need you to do me a favour. I need you to tell me what it’s like to be an Entertainment duelist. What you’re talking about - a rewrite of time – means that something was lost or hidden. Something happened during that time, and from what you’ve shared, and what Chris and I have uncovered, the main topics during that time were the Lancers, Entertainment dueling, and Pendulum dueling. Does anyone else from the other cities know?”

“I don’t know,” Yuuma answers. “Sakaki was a Lancer, and some of his friends were, but then Hiiragi and Shiunin-kun weren’t and they seemed to know about it too. But then again Shiunin-kun’s from Fusion –”

“You’ve met a Fusion duelist?” Chris interrupts.

“Yeah, both Hiiragi and Shiunin-kun are Fusion duelists, and Yuuya knows how to as well.” With a pout, Yuuma adds, “Why does this talk always make you two act so weird?”

Sighing, Kaito sets down the Solid Vision technology. He steeples his hands and rests his chin on them. “Because if Leo Corporation, and particularly the Akabas, are hiding something from the other dimensions, I want to know before Entertainment dueling becomes mass-produced as the ‘newest and greatest evolution of dueling,’ when in all honesty it sounds like a catalyst for a war.”

“Dueling doesn't create wars though,” Yuuma argues. “If you’re hurting someone while dueling, then you’re not dueling.”

“Well,” Chris says, “I’m sure this wasn’t the only piece of technology used in those wars. And we can’t really call ourselves martyrs when dueling was involved in our own wars.” He laughs, a hollow sound that echoes in discordant rings off the wire shelves. “But Yuuma, that doesn’t deter my caution. If the Lancers were Maiami duelists, and Entertainment dueling was involved in the same era as these interdimensional wars, I would exercise great caution when dueling. Just because the technology has stabilised doesn’t mean it’s exempt from glitches.”

“It’s not going to hurt me,” Yuuma assures them. “Sakaki and I are born Entertainment duelists. Besides, it’s not far off from the spectacles that you and Kaito pull off in your own duels.”

The mood becomes more lighthearted when Kaito starts laughing behind his hand. His sharp eyes glare at Yuuma, catching the artificial lighting that leaves dusty shadows in the corners of the room. “Just promise me you won’t lose hope,” he grumbles.

“I promise!”

Before Yuuma can run out the door though, he thinks about one more question. “Chris, Kaito … what would happen if I went to another city? Do you think there’s more information in Academia or the City?”

“About Entertainment Dueling?” Chris asks. “If what Vector found out is true, I don’t think the City will have much for you. I’d consider checking out Academia though - it’s safe now, so you might find some clues about what you’re looking for. Again though, I wouldn’t be prying too hard into the past if it was erased. Some things aren’t meant to be remembered.”

Yuuma just rolls his eyes. “Stop saying weird adult things,” he teases. “I’ll come back when I find more, OK?”

He waves goodbye to Chris and Kaito, peeks once more up the hallway to see if anyone else is milling about, and then takes his leave.

It’s still midday, so Yuuma considers taking Yuuya to Academia on that day. No matter what that place means for anyone, Yuuma is certain that with Yuuya at his side both of them can accomplish anything. Therefore, once Yuuma is out in the open, he calls Yuuya up on his D-Gazer.

“Want to go to Academia today?” he says.

There is an awkward pause on the other end of the line that Yuuma notes but does not dwell on. “Well –” Yuuya says.

“It will just be a quick trip! Come on, Sakaki! We don’t even have school today, so we’ve gotta make the most of this day off.”

“Right,” Yuuya says. His voice becomes more chipper afterwards: “Are your friends coming along?”

“I don’t think so,” Yuuma answers. “They’d just want to go shopping or play games, and Vector might try to vandalise something historic by drawing something crude on it.” Yuuma laughs. “Nah, let’s just make this trip for the two of us.”

“Got it!” Yuuya says. “Actually, how about we take a detour. We’ll go into the City first, and then travel into Academia. It’ll be quicker that way – trust me.”

Yuuma nods even when Yuuya can’t see. “All right, see you soon!” He disconnects and pockets the D-Gazer, and then on unsteady legs unclicks the wheels of his heelies. Yuuya had brought them for him as a make-up gift after last week, and he’d even taken Yuuma out for a ride together. The heelies still feel uncomfortable for Yuuma, who unsteadily begins rolling on them; once he gains the rhythm though, Yuuma zips through the streets and down to the train station. The cool breeze on his face makes him close his eyes and smile, and the gentle laughter in the distance warms his heart.

The good feeling travels with him to Maiami, where, upon seeing Yuuya, he clicks on his heelies once more and zips towards him. Yuuya catches him in his arms and, wearing his heelies as well, they glide backwards into the wall. The impact makes Yuuya stumble, but he laughs outright and grabs Yuuma’s hands.

“Ready to go?” he asks.

“Ready!” Yuuma says.

The next part of their journey starts with another train ride, this one travelling up north to the City. Yuuma makes jokes about how they should’ve named the Synchro city something more exciting like Heartland or Maiami, but apparently Synchro dueling – and, Yuuya adds with a laugh, Synchro duelists – are quite blunt and honest folk. On the ride up, Yuuma begins telling him about his friend named Yuugo, a Commons duelist in Synchro who stuck in Yuuya’s heart as one of the best Synchro Entertainment duelists of his generation.

“ _Yuugou_?” Yuuma says. “Like Fusion?”

Yuuya laughs himself off the seat. “ _Yuugo_ , like ‘you go fast’. He would’ve given you an earful if he ever heard you call him ‘Fusion’, but honestly he’s the most energetic guy I know. I bet you two would’ve been great friends.”

Yuuma catches the implication. “Would’ve? You mean he’s not around anymore?”

Yuuya shakes his head, and he deliberates his next words. “I haven’t seen him in so long, and I think he moved on to the American circuits with his partner, Rin. I haven’t heard from them since we were dueling in the City’s Friendship Cup.”

“I remember you talking about them,” Yuuma says. “It’s a shame I can’t get to meet such an awesome duelist. Your friends are amazing, Sakaki!”

Yuuya laughs. “Call me Yuuya,” he says.

Yuuma nods. “Yuuya it is. Call me Yuuma then. Yuuma the Bringer of Hope.”

This makes Yuuya laugh even harder. People begin to stare at them, and Yuuma hopes they appreciate how joyous his friend’s laughter is, or how they sit side-by-side with their decks in their hands and their heelies popped out of their large, red shoes. Yuuma wishes everyone could see him and Yuuya together as duelists and friends.

“Call me …” Yuuya says, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Call me Yuuya the _Egao_ Entertainer.”

They dissolve into giggles once more. Now Yuuma can feel all eyes on him, and he makes a point at waving at the annoyed-looking attendants. Let them all know how happy he is with Yuuya. Let them all see the pure bliss he shares with Yuuya.

When the train stops, Yuuma stumbles on his shoes to get onto the landing; when he’s on solid ground, Yuuya takes his hand and pulls him along. The Synchro station is more average-looking in nature, with wooden benches lining the docks and flat, concrete ground on which boring passengers walk on. Nothing catches his attention except the world outside, glowing in the midday sun.

Yuuma has never seen taller buildings in his life. The City is built of spires and towers, shooting up to the heavens in perfect, straight rows. Each building is metallic and decorated with wide windows encircling the structure; the sunlight bounces off each reflective surface and lights up the surrounding areas. Between the buildings are roads, one on top of the other and weaving through every visible space.

“There’s two parts to the City,” Yuuya explains to him, standing on edge of the station overlooking the world ahead. “There used to be Tops and Commons, but those communities have been bridged together now. I think the council cleaned up the Commons areas too, so we can visit both and you won’t experience quite the shock that Yuzu and I had when we first came here.”

Yuuma can’t see the Commons area though. He squints through the buildings to see any more, smaller ones.

“The Commons area is beneath the Tops land,” Yuuya says. “You won’t be able to spot it until you’re underneath it, but the situation is much better now that the Council is taking care of all its citizens.” Yuuya squeezes his hand and slowly begins to pull back. “Come on, we’ll ride into the City together.”

Yuuma thinks this means they’ll be on heelies; he’s skated alongside Yuuya before – an experience that brings a blush to his cheeks – and loved every moment of it. However, Yuuya clicks in his heelies and, instead of walking out to the street, turns right down one of the hallways. There are large signs before kind receptionists along this hallway; most of the signs have brand names for nothing Yuuma has every heard about.

“What are we looking for?” Yuuma asks.

“A bike,” Yuuya answers.

This explanation satisfies Yuuma enough until the kind receptionist and Yuuya begin talking about prices and licenses, and Yuuma starts to wonder if the pedal-bike he was thinking of is not what Yuuya is thinking of.

It isn’t.

The woman leads them outside to where several parked _motorbikes_ are. Each one is stylised and painted metal with an engine that makes Yuuma _scream and cheer and want to touch all of them all at once._ He can’t contain his excitement as he squeals next to Yuuya.

“Look at them! Look at the colours and the engines and the _wheels!_ Yuuya, you didn’t say we were going on a motorbike!”

Yuuya chuckles. “Well, doesn’t being in Synchro give you a hint? Do the words ‘riding duels’ right a bell?”

They do, but not enough for Yuuma to ever imagine riding on one, much less with Yuuya.

In due time they are given the keys and insurance papers, followed by a brief instruction about what not to do on the bike. The license gives them access to travel to anywhere within the United Worlds, which Yuuma realises means that he and Yuuya will be driving into Academia on a motorbike. Before they can even get their helmets, Yuuma is on the bike.

“You can drive one of these?” he gapes.

“I was a Riding Duelist for the City’s Friendship Cup,” Yuuya says. “It’s easy once you get the hang of it, but maybe I’ll just drive for the way there.”

They put on their helmets, matching in blue and gold, and peer at each other through the darkened visors. Yuuma gets off so that Yuuya can get on first, and then scrambles on behind him. Yuuya instructs him on where to put his arms and feet, and how to lean into turns.

“It’s just like tag-dueling,” he says. “You need to match my rhythm. Hold onto my waist only enough so that you won’t fall off. Lean with me and mimic my moves. Got it?”

Yuuma thinks he can do anything with Yuuya next to him.

The take-off starts slow and shaky. Yuuya pulls them out of the garage and slowly drives out of the train station. As he takes wide turns, Yuuma focuses on moving in sync with Yuuya. When they make it to the end of the parking lot, Yuuya has to merge into traffic: the bike revs up, engine roaring, and they take off down the pathway and into the merging lane. Yuuma feels the engine rumble underneath him, and he holds Yuuya’s jacket a bit tighter to keep them together.

As the bike speeds up, Yuuya leans further down. Yuuma can’t imagine ever dueling on this bike, so over the wind he calls out to Yuuya, “How do you duel on this thing?”

Yuuya left hand reaches out to press the large, middle button that Yuuma had previously thought was just part of the bike’s steering wheel or engine. However, beneath the button two slots open up and out pours a holographic board. It glows as the motorbike begins to hum, and in Yuuma’s helmet he hears, “Riding Duel, activated. Field: Cross Over Accel.”

“The police have D-Runners too,” Yuuya explains, “and Yuzu can tell you about the time she and Yuugo had to run away from them. Nowadays though, we won’t experience anything like that on the road. I can show you though ....”

With a laugh, Yuuya plucks a card from the top of his duel disk, where Yuuma now realises is where the duelist holds his cards. The card is then laid atop the board; if it were a magic or trap card, Yuuma can see small sloths underneath the disk that one card can be slid into.

“Come on out, Performapal Hip Hippo!”

The D-Pad glows bright as the card is activated; above them a creature that bursts forth from thin air. Its round, pink  body is garbed in a vest and top hat, and it smiles at Yuuma and Yuuya on the bike. Rather than attack though, the Solid Vision monster spins around their bike, kicking and dancing to an imaginary beat. When it comes closer to him, Yuuma reaches out to touch the monster’s hands.

It’s solid under his fingertips.

“Leo Corporation really has outdone themselves by making his technology affordable. Real Solid Vision isn’t available everywhere, but in the next few years every school and duel building will have the latest and greatest in dueling entertainment. Everyone has a dream, y’know?”

Yuuma hugs Yuuya tight. “What’s your dream, Yuuya?”

“To bring smiles through dueling.”

The thought sparks memories in Yuuma: dueling with Alit, dueling with Vector, dueling with Nasch. Dueling with Astral and watching his partner shoot up to the heavens, arms outstretched and face _beaming_ as he called out to him, “I, too, will never forget, Yuuma!”

Yuuya leans back to bump into him. “Hey, Yuuma. What’s your dream?”

“Mine? Well it’s never giving up and bringing it to them.”

 _Tell him about your Kattobingu,_ Shark had told him. Yuuma feels his heart and clench and release with excitement.

“Hey, Yuuya?”

“Yeah?”

“There’s this thing I have called kattobingu. It’s not a disease or anything, and it’s not something you can see; it’s something I have to _show_ you, something invisible but magical. Kattobingu means to never give up even when it seems impossible, to challenge, and to believe in oneself. It means putting your best foot forward and never stepping back. No matter what I do or where I go, my kattobingu comes with me.”

For a moment, the ride is silent. They glide over the Academia-City bridge, marvelling at how the smooth path leads them across the glistening ocean and into a forested island. The bike’s reflection catches in the water, and Yuuma leans a bit just to catch himself laughing at the rippling waters. In front of him, Yuuya laughs; the sound is careless and free, cried to the ivory clouds and crimson sun.

“That’s beautiful,” he says at last. “My dad tells me something similar. He says life is like a pendulum: always swinging back and forth. He says when the pendulum swings too far one way, you need to hang on and swing back the other way. Life is like that, and you hold on for all the times in your life where you might laugh or cry.”

“I believe in that too!” Yuuma says. ‘I want to believe in the pendulum and kattobingu!” As the bike lands in Academia and Yuuya begins to weave them between the forests and along a winding path through the island, Yuuma says, “You know, Yuuya, I wish we could’ve met long ago. I wish the bridge between our worlds was built long ago so that I could meet you when I very first started dueling.”

“Really?” Yuuya says.

“Yep! I want to duel more and more with you because you make my heart beat faster and faster.” Yuuma pauses, and his next word seem choked up: “You know, I used to have a duel partner. We always dueled together, side by side, sometimes hand in hand. I’ve never dueled with anyone else like that before, but when I duel with you I feel the same way.”

“You feel the same way?” Yuuya repeats. “Because of me?”

“That heart-pumping feeling happened with him too. He’s gone away now, but when I dueled with him, our _souls_ connected. Which is really silly when you think about it, but I think when you duel so, so closely with someone that’s bound to happen. Because of him, I could never, _ever_ lose my kattobingu. I kept dueling because of him.”

Yuuma hugs Yuuya tight as they take a hairpin turn; the force throws them to the side as they screech around the bend.

“Will you keep dueling with me, Yuuya?”

“No matter what, Yuuma.”

Yuuma buries his face into Yuuya’s shoulder blades. “I’m so glad! I want to be an Entertainment duelist with you and do Action Duels and Riding Duels. I want to Summon all the monsters just like you and your friend can, and best of all I want to _with_ you. Shark’s going to tell I’m going all sentimental, but it’s worth the sappiness if I can duel with you more and more.”

“You’re the brightest Entertainment duelist I’ve ever known,” Yuuya says. He slows down the bike for the next turn, leading them around a bend that opens up to a wide street bordered by small, European-style buildings. There are bridges everywhere here that step over small canals. Citizens mill about in summer dresses and loose shirts, appearing as if they’re enjoying the summer weather.

While most of the streets provide enough space for the D-Runner, as they head further into the city the road space becomes much smaller to accommodate for the many shoppers and tourists milling about the city centre. From every angle Yuuma can see the ocean peeking between the buildings or opening up before him. The whitewashed designs of the buildings only makes the area light up more.

“This is the main part of the city, but if you want to visit Duel Academia, it’s across the water here.”

Yuuya parks his bike before yet another bridge, this one leading across the water towards a tall, mountainous island. There is a beach  bordering the island, which leads up into the foresty undergrowth. Duel Academia rests at the mountain’s peak: an oppressive building with five large spires and bordered by rocks through which more concrete building seems to jut out. At the front of the ocean is a wide mouth of rock through which the bridge goes into.

“That’s a duel school?” Yuuma says.

Yuuya nods. “The largest duel school in the United Lands. Back before I was even born it was a private duel academy for pro-league duelists. Then it became an elite duel school, and nowadays it’s a Fusion-specialising duel school like LDS and You Show.” Yuuya points ahead of him where the trees and shrubbery seem to extend out. “Before it became a proper duel school, it looked far more menacing: all sharp rocks and blue-green crystals jutting out of a barren landscape. I think they were doing experiments back then, and the radiation killed off all the vegetation.”

Yuuma catches on to the bleakness of the conversation, but still asks a question outright: “Wasn’t this the school that had child soldiers trained for duel combat?”

“Not anymore, but yes. In the past, this was where violent dueling was taught to young duelists, who then went on to attack the other cities. Academia has a huge role now though in promoting safe, co-operative dueling: they were the first city to partner with Leo Corporation in uniting the different cities.”

“What about the dimensions?” Yuuma asks. “These cities weren’t always together, were they? How come I never got to know about Maiami or City or Academia until last year? And how come you know about this?”

“Dimensions is just a fancy word for ‘city and the surrounding areas,’” Yuuya explains. “My friend Akaba Reiji has been researching how the dimensions came together and joined in harmony –”

“But how come none of the dimensions knew each other until recently?”

The bike slows down as they enter into the mouth of a wide cave. The blue crystal Yuuya mentioned earlier are visible along the cave walls. The crystal remind Yuuma of Yuuya’s pendulum, which in the darkness also glows. Despite driving slower in the enclosed space, the crystal’s light blend together as they drive to create a band of light that follows them down the road. When the cave opens up into a parking lot _inside Academia_ , Yuuya gasps.

The ceiling is open. Academia is built of white-stone like in the main parts of the city. There are gardens and green scapes everywhere he can see. There are also _doors_ and _paths_ leading everywhere Yuuma can possibly imagine one can go to. Nonetheless, everything seems to be in a particular order: how the benches and arranged, how the flowers are grown, and even how one moves in this space seem ordered by a higher, invisible power. In Heartland, there is no order: buildings are created in every visible space and designed to be any shape necessary. As new designs are promoted and fall out of fashion, the general landscape becomes more diverse. At Academia, however, everything is uniform.

It doesn’t stop Yuuma from touching everything to make sure it’s real. “We can go anywhere in here, right?”

“I think so,” Yuuya says. “What did you want to check out here again?”

“I want to see the Entertainment dueling here.”

A pause. “What?”

“The Entertainment dueling,” Yuuma repeats. “All the dimensions had Entertainment dueling, didn’t they? You or someone else must’ve shared it with everyone because no matter who we meet they all seem to have the performance dueling.”

Yuuya only seems confused though. “Why do you want to know so much about Entertainment dueling, and why here?”

“Because it’s all I can think about, Yuuya! You and Entertainment dueling! How come I never got to know about this before?”

Yuuma doesn’t understand why Yuuya isn’t jumping with joy with him. In fact, Yuuya looks a bit scared and worried, as if Yuuma’s opened a can of worms that should’ve stayed closed. It’s the same look Shark gets when trouble (or Vector) is on horizon, and the deer-in-the headlights look stays with Yuuya as Yuuma continues: “How come this was such a big secret? No one will tell me anything, and Vector’s advice can’t get me any answers, so I want to ask you. Please, Yuuya, tell me what happened with Entertainment dueling.”

“It’s not really a secret,” Yuuya says, “but –”

“But I don’t know, and it’s _killing_ me not to know this. Hiiragi-chan and Shiunin-kun and Reiji-kun all seem like kind people, but they’re a part of something, aren’t they? And the Lancers – you’re a Lancer! What was the real purpose of that that somehow got lost over time? And then there’s Entertainment duels, and I want to know about those too –”

“Yuuma, those aren’t really questions I can answer –”

“Why does that have to be a secret?” Yuuma asks. He reaches for Yuuya’s hands and pulls them close; their helmet bump together until they are head-to-head. Yuuya’s eyes glisten with tears; Yuuma still presses on. “Tell me, _please.”_

Yuuya shakes his head. “You don’t need to know that.”

“But Chris and Kaito are telling me otherwise!” Yuuma says. “They say Entertainment dueling is dangerous. Vector even tells me there were armies and wars against the different dimensions which is why we were all separate, and all because of a miracle we came back together into the United Dimension. You’ve even talked of people who’ve gone missing like Yuugo and Rin – did they die in those wars?”

“They didn’t!” Yuuya cries. He pushes away from Yuuma and steps back. “You can’t know Yuuma, no matter how well-meaning you are. What happened back then was horrible and I want _no one_ to remember those times –”

“But everyone has those times,” Yuuma retorts. “Everyone wants to forget the past that they don’t want to remember, and that’s OK. My friend forgot his own past, and my other friend tried to erase his own. It happens. But you grow from your past.” With a stomp of his foot that reverberates through the ancient walls of Academia, Yuuma shouts, “I want to remember all of Sakaki Yuuya the _Egao_ Entertainer.”

Yuuya doesn’t look up.

“If time was rewritten, we’ve got to keep writing it then. But I don’t want to ever forget anyone or anything.”

Yuuya shakes his head.

“Maybe you can show me,” Yuuma says. “Sometimes you can’t tell anyone anything, but you can show it.”

When Yuuya doesn’t answer, Yuuma presses on. “I’ll show you a secret, OK? Something that very few people know about me.” Carefully, he grabs Yuuya’s hand and touches it to the Emperor’s Key. When it glows, Yuuma says, “My best friend, Astral, used to live inside this Key. He’s a duel spirit and he helped me through my darkest times. He had no memories, but he always told me to hold onto mine.”

Yuuma feels himself falling back into the Key; his hand is tugged by Yuuya who resists momentarily, but then they both fall together, landing among the stardusted sand and the twinkling sky. The sand cushions them both as they lie among the open air; behind them, the golden Different Dimensional Airship floats gently. It’s encircled by a mystical green light that fills the pocket dimension with a lulling hum.

“Where is this?” Yuuya asks, shooting upright and looking around at the galactic lands.

“This is inside the Key,” Yuuma explains. “Astral called it a pocket dimension – it’s not a real place, but it’s attached to our worlds somehow. He used to sit up there in that ship with all these Number cards and try to regain his memories.

“And then another friend of mine found out he had this deep, dark past. He used to be a Barian. He tried to fight it, and then he embraced it and threw us all away. Honestly, what he needed were friends who accepted him no matter what, and memories that he could fondly look back on. No matter what happens, I hold tight to my precious memories with my friends. I don’t ever want to forget anything.

“So hey, Yuuya, tell me what happened with the Lancers. Tell me about Entertainment dueling and all those people you got to meet.”

Yuuya looks down on his feet. “If I tell you –”

“I’ll believe you,” Yuuma says. “I’ll always believe in you.”

Yuuya tells him. They lie among the stars, looking up at the dusty heavens that arc across a muddy sky.

Yuuya tells him first about the Lancers. He tells him about, Reiji, Reira, Tsukikage, Shingo, and Gongenzaka. He tells him about Serena too, who looks like Yuzu and ended up being a dimensional counterpart from Academia. He then talks about Rin and Ruri, two more girls with the same face as Yuzu. He refers to them as Bracelet Girls, who, when they came together, became the deity Ray Akaba, the daughter of Leo Akaba.

He tells Yuuma about his own dimensional counterparts. He paints the sky with descriptions of boys with his own face called Yuugo, Yuuri, and Yuuto. He says that they were all part of Zarc, the King of Entertainment who went mad with Entertainment dueling’s passion for violent duels.

“Entertainment dueling only becomes fun when you make it so,” Yuuya explains. “If the audience wants violent duels, they can alter how one duels with their monsters. Dueling is made by everyone involved.”

Yuuya tells him about the rewrite. He explains how the timeline was restarted and the world rebuilt by everyone’s wishes to duel peacefully together. By harmonising the dimensions, friendly Entertainment dueling could be achieved.

“That was my wish,” Yuuya says. “To duel alongside my friends with a smile on my face. It was realised by the god Zarc and the goddess Ray, and by the Akabas who made this possibility a reality.”

Time was rewound back to when the dimensions could be together. Yuuma’s early memories of other lands are hazy because of this re-write, and hearing Yuuya explain this phenomenon makes sense for him. If Yuuma were to put this into context, the rewrite would’ve occurred when he defeated Don Thousand. In that timeline, Yuuma restored his own city’s peace and brought together the Parallel Worlds.

“You brought back everyone,” Yuuma says, rolling towards Yuuya. “Entertainment dueling fused the worlds together!”

“But my friends from the other dimensions went away –”

“They’re probably still inside you –”

“They _aren’t,”_ Yuuya says, and his voice hitches at the end. “When the dimensions fused together, they all went away.”

“We could find them,” Yuuma says. “I’d look for them with you. Whether they’re with you or not, I bet they’re here somewhere. We’ve just got to keep looking, right?”

With a sigh, Yuuya rolls back to face the cloudy, starlight sky. “When all four of us became one, it was like a new energy was born. Becoming one awakened all of us, and maybe even if it wasn’t for the best, it was still one of the greatest feelings. Being one with someone … you must know how that feels right?”

“Astral and I used to fuse our souls together to form Zexal. It’s the closest I’ve ever been with someone.”

Another sigh. “Same.”

The silence peters out into a blissful placidity. Yuuma wriggles his fingers into Yuuya’s hands, and together they look up at the wide, vast world, illuminated only by the silver twinkle of the cosmos and the golden light of the Dimensional Ship. To Yuuma, being with Yuuya makes him feel whole again. He can imagine sharing many, many more moments with Yuuya.

“We’ll bring your friends back, OK?”

Yuuya nods.

“We’ll all be together again.”


	8. Sleepover at Yuuya's House! The Conclusion to the "Date"!

It takes both of them what feels like hours before they decide to leave the pocket dimension and return to Academia. Yuuma keeps the conversation rolling with duel knowledge and story-sharing, and after a while Yuuya opens up and begins sharing too. He talks about his dimensional counterparts like Yuuma talks about Astral: as if he’s known them all his life.

The first counterpart is Yuuto. He’s a Heartland duelist, which gets Yuuma’s blood pumping. If he met Yuuto, he could’ve met both the most compassionate and most edgy duelist in the East Asian circuit. Yuuya describes Yuuto as someone with a kind heart hardened by a fueling passion to reclaim his lands. Yuuya fails to mention what bothered Yuuto so much, but Yuuma doesn’t interrupt.

Then there is Yuugo. Yuuma sees himself in Yuugo as a duelist who wants to have fun, but he also sees Shark in Yuugo as a duelist who never gives up and always strives to win. Yuugo is a Synchro duelist, which excites Yuuma simply because he’s never seen a Synchro duelist in action. 

Finally, there’s Yuuri. Yuuya has less to say about Yuuri, but he assures Yuuma that Yuuri was the one who brought them all together. Yuuri’s dream was to become as one; at the beginning, Yuuya thought this was a terrible idea, but with a chuckle he says he’s now re-evaluated his thoughts and determined that becoming one with his counterparts was what saved the universe.

“I want to live my life completely and freely,” Yuuya says. “Maybe the others are already within me.”

Back in Academia, Yuuma takes it upon himself to search for the counterparts. With a meagre amount of evidence about where they could possibly be, Yuuma says, “The best thing both of us can do it look for anything that might restore everyone’s memories and bring back your counterparts.”

With that thought in mind, Yuuma looks around the boring station within Academia and takes the first set of stairs he sees. He climbs them two at a time, feet slapping the worn stone, and throws open the door to an empty hallway. There are, blessedly, no classes occurring, so Yuuma and Yuuya are free to meander the rooms. With its rather simplistic decor, Yuuma can’t imagine this place ever being a militaristic private school for child soldiers.

Academia has a different impression on Yuuya, however. He looks into each of the rooms with tears in his eyes. Yuuma tries to see the world in the same way as Yuuya: the bars on the windows and the effortless style must have felt like hell to the children who could never escape this prison. Yuuma likes duel school, but he can’t imagine  _ living  _ in one, unable to do anything else but study and learn and hurt.

At the end of the hallway is a staircase leading upwards. Yuuya ascends and Yuuma follows. The further up the dustier the school begins to look. When they make it up the staircase to the next floor, there is a chain blocking their entry, from which a metal sign hangs. ‘Do not enter,’ it reads in large print.

Yuuma steps over it. “Come on, Yuuya! That sign’s not meant for us; it’s probably for the students who aren’t supposed to sneak up here during lessons.” When Yuuya only falters, Yuuma beckons him further, reaching out his hand. “When you’re scared, just take a step forward and challenge it.”

Yuuya takes Yuuma’s hand. 

At once, Yuuma pulls Yuuya forward and down the hallways; his pace is near-impossible to keep up with, and by the way Yuuma talks one would think they were travelling towards a world-shaking event; however, when they burst into a room, all they find are simple, unfurnished bedrooms. There is a layer of dust over every surface that shows how long it's been since anyone last went up in this area of Academia.

Yuuya swallows. “This is where Sora lived.”

Yuuma turns to him. “In this exact room?”

“No, only Sora would know exactly where he slept. But he slept on a cot like that in a barren room like this, and he didn’t have any friends and just studied. Academia soldiers only had one job - they couldn’t do anything else but fight for their dimension.”

“Who were they working for?”

“The Professor.”

“I hope someone showed him how cruel that was. You aren’t dueling if you’re hurting others.” Crossing his arms, Yuuma walks through the dusty room. “How could anyone live like this? How did Sora survive?”

“He escaped,” Yuuya answered. “He ran away and he found us, and he fell in love with Pendulum dueling. I don’t know much more about what happened to him here, and I don’t think he likes to talk about it …”

Out of the blue, Yuuma interrupts: “Did they experiment on people here?”

Yuuya pauses. “Sorry?”

“Did they experiment on the duelists? Like how did everyone follow along? Were they brainwashed or something?”

Yuuya seems nervous, wringing his hands and hunching his shoulders. “I don’t know,” he whispers. He looks around the room once more and shivers. “Yuuma, maybe we shouldn’t be here. I don’t want to remember this.”

“You can’t forget what happened,” Yuuma says. “A friend of mine already tried that and it brought him grief. We make mistakes, and we learn and move on.” Kicking up dust behind his feet, Yuuma takes a jump forward; the dust makes them both cough, and then Yuuma begins to laugh. “Have hope, Yuuya!”

Yuuya kicks one foot behind him. “Hope?” he echoes.

Yuuma throws both arms in the air and takes a gulp of dusty air. “Tsukumo Yuuma, Bringer of Hope and Smiles!” When Yuuya is gasping for air from laughing so hard, Yuuma puts his hands down and tucks them into his pockets. “I can’t force to you to remember or make you forget, but the memories I have with you, I’ll never forget them.”

His words leave Yuuya speechless.

Yuuma takes Yuuya to several more places in the hallways. With innocent eyes, all Yuuma can see is the peaceful serenity of Academia. He tries to look past the untouched beauty to remember that this was once a camp for children taken away from their parents; however, it’s hard for Yuuma who’s always been surrounded by friends and family. There are only a few times that Yuuma ever remembers being truly alone, but those memories barely scratch the surface of what Academia soldiers must’ve experienced. 

Yuuma throws open the doors to a long room, bordered by tall pillars that hold up the arching ceiling. At the front of the room is a balcony looking out over a great chasm. Yuuma wonders what once stood there, as the stripped wallpaper makes him think that some kind of energy was released.

Next to him, Yuuya stiffens. “We shouldn’t be in this area,” he says. He reaches up and flicks at his goggles. He begins to pull them down before he stops, and his hands freeze at his forehead. “Yuuma, we need to go. Now.”

“I’m still looking though,” Yuuma says.

Yuuma takes the steps up to the balcony, noticing how the floor is worn away from fast movements. The balcony does, in fact, looks over a hole so dark that Yuuma can’t imagine anything existing at the bottom of it. It reminds him of a black hole that could suck away everyone and everything; with increased interest, he leans closer.

“Something used to be here,” Yuuma says. 

“Something happened here,” Yuuya answers. “Yuuma, we really need to go.”

Above him, Yuuma notices the decorations embossed into the ceiling. There are four of them - a flower, a moon, a bird, and a squiggle – encircled by four interconnected rings. Yuuma notices how each of them seems to glow, albeit faintly, from the crystals embedded into their designs. The design’s beauty reminds him of the Crests that the Barians, Astralians, and Arclights used.

“There’s four rings up here –”

“Yuuma, time to go!”

Next to the rings are designs of dragons: four of them, dancing and twirling along the walls with their wings outstretched and their long necks and tails arching together to create rings of their own. Once again, there are gems in the stone. One of the dragons has different coloured eyes, something only Yuuma would notice because he and his father have studied ruins before …

_ Odd Eyes. _

“Did you meet your counterparts here?” Yuuma asks.

“No,” Yuuya says. He grabs Yuuma’s hand and tugs him away. “I met them in Maiami. I don’t think we should be here though, especially not in this room. We should probably go back before it gets too late, and we still need to drop off the bike in the City.”

Yuuma turns around and crosses his arms. “Don’t you want to know what happened?”

“I  _ do,” _ Yuuya says, “and it’s not something anyone should know.”

Yuuma stops, startled. “You remember?” He looks down at his feet and laughs softly. He closes the distance and gently embraces Yuuya in a hug. The other boy is only a centimetre or two taller, but it’s enough that Yuuma has to rise up on his toes to get a firm squeeze around Yuuya’s chest. “That’s fine; I’ll wait. I’ll wait for you to tell me about it, OK?”

Yuuya nods. 

After a moment, Yuuma breaks apart. “I don’t know exactly what happened here, or where everyone went, but I’ll try my best to bring them back. It sounds like those other counterparts are important to you, and the girls are important to Yuzu. I think I can get them back for you.”

“It’s fine,” Yuuya says, but Yuuma presses on.

“It’s not  _ fine _ if you still miss them. Did you even get to say goodbye to them? Did you want to?”

Yuuya tugs at his goggles again. Yuuma reaches up to touch them, rubbing his thumb over the gold star across one eye. “When I had to say goodbye to Astral, I made sure to do it with a smile. I saw him off properly. Is that what you’d want to happen with your counterparts?”

“I guess,” Yuuya answers. “But –”

“But what? It doesn’t matter what - we’ll bring them back together!” Yuuma squeezes Yuuya once more, feeling how Yuuya’s heart slows to match his. “I’ll wait with you and hold onto these precious memories.”

As Yuuma hugs Yuuya, his ears pick up on a faint pattering sound. He lifts his head slightly and looks left to right; there appears to be nothing in sight. The sound continues. It grows louder and heavier, becoming more like the slapping of feet on concrete or the hissing of water boiling in a pan. Yuuya lifts his head too, and they break apart and peer around. There are no windows in the room, so Yuuma runs out the door and stops at the hallway. There are only rooms on one side; the other side is all windows, through which Yuuma can see thick, fat raindrops descending from the heavens and soaking everything unprotected.

“Can we drive home in the rain?” Yuuma asks.

“We can,” Yuuya says. “But even these D-Wheels don’t have covers on them. They aren’t meant to protect you from wind or rain; they’re meant to duel on.”

Yuuma shrugs. “Oh well, we’ll just get a little bit wet.”

However, as soon as they step outdoors Yuuma feels his clothes soak up the rain. A chill settles on his clothes and he shivers when cold raindrops slip down his back. Next to him, Yuuya quickly covers his hair with his helmet and clambers onto the bike. The seat is wet and slippery; Yuuma feels his wet pants stick uncomfortably to his legs and he cringes at the unpleasant feeling. 

The ride to Academia had been marvelous. On the way back, Yuuma suffers. He shivers against Yuuya as they speed back down the streets. No matter how slowly they take a turn, the streets have become slick with water and their tires never feel secure under the bike. Their helmets have built-in technology to keep their visor from fogging up, but the road still seems unclear and treacherous. Their racing suits keep them dry but not warm; once again, Yuuya reminds him that Riding Duels aren’t meant to be played in rainy conditions.

When they enter into the City, the tall buildings provide a bit of protection, but the roads are congested from the rain. Yuuma feels his fingers and toes clench up, and so he pulls them out of the gloves and makes fists to conserve what little body heat he has. He and Yuuya seem to keep each other warm enough to not feel tired or in pain, but the ride is far less comfortable coming back into the City.

And then it gets dark. At first, Yuuma simply thought it was because of the rain clouds obscuring the sun; however, another look at the darkening sky shows that while rainclouds might be a contributing factor, ultimately it is getting late and the sun is dipping behind the mountains. With the approaching nighttime, the temperature drops. 

Yuuma feels his teeth begin to chatter.

“This is a terrible way to end such a great day,” Yuuma says through his chattering teeth. 

“It rains so much in the City,” Yuuya complains. “We get far milder weather south of the United Sea.”

Yuuma laughs. “Maybe it’s because of the ocean.”

“Maybe,” Yuuya says. “It couldn’t have started raining when we were on the train home.” Yuuya looks over his shoulder. “Hey, are you going to be OK to go home like that? We’re pretty soaked, and you’ve got to take an extra train home. I might have some clothes you can borrow, and hopefully you won’t miss the last train.”

Yuuma shakes off his suggestion and sniffs loudly. “I’ll be fine, Yuuya. I’ve walked home in worse weather. Ha, one time Vector and I got caught in the rain and we didn’t have enough money for a taxi because we’d spent it all on candy, so we had to walk home for forty minutes in the rain. Poor Vector! He was so cold and he doesn’t like being wet. I think he’s had some bad experiences before, or maybe it’s just because Shark dunked him in the pool once in November …” Yuuma trails off, laughing. “I promise all my friends mean well.”

“I’m sure they do,” Yuuya says, still looking concerned as Yuuma tries to wipe his nose by reaching under his helmet. “You should meet Shun and Reiji sometime, and Shingo and Dennis. Shingo and Dennis both go to LDS, and Reiji’s an instructor and supervisor there. Then there’s Shun. I think he’s working, but he might also be studying too. You might get along with him - he has a soft side once you break his hard exterior.”

Yuuma thinks of Kaito, who is as derpy as he is mature. “I have a friend like that too.”

When they at last make it to the train station, Yuuma throws off his helmet; his arms and legs, covered by the Riding Duel onesuit, are still soaked through. He unpeels himself from the suit and returns it to the receptionist. The man takes the wet garments with a grimace, which only grows to a frown when Yuuya adds his to the pile.

“Your hair’s drooping!” Yuuya says, laughing behind his hand. At Yuuma’s confused expression, he points to Yuuma’s pink bangs which, rather than shoot out like feelers, have drooped down to hang in front of his face. Yuuma pushes them aside and chuckles.

“Your hair’s drooping too!” He reaches out to feel Yuuya’s hair; while still semi-dry, it has been pushed down by the shape of the helmet. “You’ve gotta fluff it out, like so!” Yuuma brushes up Yuuya’s hair, which doesn’t quite take on its original shape but no longer hangs sadly.

Fixed, Yuuya says, “We should probably get home quickly. We’ll stop by my house to get clothes, and then we’ll walk to the train station.”

The trains are thankfully unaffected by the storm. It’s not warm enough in the train for Yuuma and Yuuya to feel any less comfortable, but thankfully because of their soaked clothing no one bothers to sit close to them. The two boys spread out over the seats, Yuuma with his legs open wide and Yuuya with his legs kicked up next to him. Yuuma’s teeth continue to chatter as he tells Yuuya all about the other times he’s gotten soaked outside.

“You live with your sister, right?” Yuuya says.

“Yeah, my sister Akari the journalist. She researches a lot of tragedies and trauma and natural disasters; wherever there’s trouble, she’s there to get the scoop.” Yuuma laughs. “My sister wanted to be a duelist so badly, but my parents thought she would do better in school and an office job.”

“What are you going to be?” Yuuya asks.

“A pro-league duelist in the East Asian circuit,” Yuuma answers, “and one of the best duelists in the world. And now that I’ve met you, I’m going to be an Entertainment duelist.”

Yuuya laughs outright. “You talk so much about Entertainment dueling.”

“It’s how I want everyone to duel.”

Rather than smile, however, Yuuya frowns. “No one should be dueling in the same way. Everyone has their own style, and, even if Real Solid Vision will be marketed worldwide to every major city in the United Worlds, that doesn’t mean everyone should be dueling informally. Dueling is unique to each duelist, and it would be boring if we were all Entertainers.”

“Well then how else do you duel?” Yuuma asks. He kicks off his wet shoes and tucks his feet underneath him.

“My best friend, Gongenzaka, is a steadfast duelist. He competes in Action Duels, but he doesn’t go searching for Action Cards or anything like that. He keeps his feet firmly on the ground at all times. 

“And then everyone uses Action Cards differently. Everyone has different techniques and strategies, and we’re all dueling for personal reasons. If we were all the same duelist using the same decks and combos, and dueling for the same reason, wouldn’t that be boring?”

“I guess …” Yuuma admits.

“I get where you’re coming from – I really do,” Yuuya says, “and at the same time you’ve got to know that we’re all just a bit different in our motives. It’s like … how would I say this? Ah hah, your kattobingu! I believe in it, you believe in it, but does everyone else?”

“Mizael probably doesn’t.”

“And does he have to? You don’t have to believe in the magic of the pendulum or the potential of Action Duels. It’s not bad if we’re thinking differently, and you can still be friends and duel happily.” With a sigh, Yuuya leans back in his seat. “One day, Yuuma, we’ll go see Reiji. You can meet someone who thinks just a bit differently about Action duels, but who I regard as my one of my closest dueling partners.”

The train slows down as it arrives at the station. Yuuma and Yuuya hurriedly put on their wet socks and clamber out the door. While not being the rainy, dreary mess that is City, Maiami City is  _ windy _ and that doesn’t help either of them get warm. During the first few roads they take, travelling among the moonlit paths towards the suburbs, Yuuma stuffs his hands in his pockets and tries to conserve as much warmth as possible. After a few more steps though, he grows bored of the silence and clicks on his heelies.

“Isn’t it a bit cold for riding?” Yuuya asks with a chuckle.

Yuuma makes a wide arc on the heelies, manoeuvring his body to remain upright. The wind tugs at his jacket to make a cape that rustles behind him. As Yuuma’s heelies begin to pick up speed, he dashes forward and throws himself in the air, kicking behind him to spin his body left. Being in the air, even if for just a moment, makes Yuuma’s heart leap in ecstasy. When he lands, arms outstretched to balance himself, Yuuya is clapping happily.

“Come on, skate with me!”

Yuuya’s shoes click open to release his own wheels; however, he doesn’t make it more than a few steps forward before  Yuuma zips forward and grabs his hands, and soon they are both dashing through the starlit streets and into the winding boulevards of Maiami. The shadows in the corners do not deter Yuuma from gliding slowly. He continues to take as many hairpin turns as he did on the motorcycle ride to and from Academia, imagining his body as the vehicle that adjusts to the speed and wind.

As they approach closer and closer to the inner streets of Maiami’s suburbs, Yuuma begins to slow down. He’s never been to Yuuya’s house before, and while he can imagine Yuuya has a lovely house, that doesn’t narrow it down to any of the hundreds of little buildings up and down the avenue.

Yuuya’s house is further back in the road that the townhouses. It boasts an actual yard and space between each building, something that Yuuma has never seen in Heartland where space is limited. Stationed right in the front of the house is a large, glass window jutting out from the white stone building. The inside of the house is dark so Yuuma can’t see which room he’s peering into, but he imagines that Yuuya’s house is quite bright and lively.

The rest of the house is soft, white stone that is stronger than it appears. There are several smaller, thinner windows along the sides of the building, ending with a circular window where Yuuya’s room is.

When they approach the door, Yuuya motions for Yuuma to keep quiet. He unlocks the door and slowly pushes it open; all the lights are out in the house.

“Who else lives here?” Yuuma asks.

Yuuya shushes him. “My mom,” he answers. “Just … stay quiet until we get to my room. She can’t know I’m coming home this late.”

Yuuma opens his mouth to reply, but Yuuya throws a hand over his lips to quiet him. Yuuma rolls his eyes. Shark says he can’t whisper either, but Yuuma thinks everyone just might be acting a bit too overprotective. Either way, Yuuma keeps his mouth shut as he follows Yuuya through the entry, past an open-style kitchen and a comfy living room, and up the stairs to the bedroom.

Something warm and soft brushes against Yuuma’s leg.

“You have a –”

Yuuya slaps a hand over Yuuma’s mouth, stifling his next words. Yuuma tries to say more, but then, upon realising Yuuya’s firm expression, settles for pointing at whatever is touching his feet. It’s soft, white, and altogether heavenly, and Yuuma stretches his fingers down to scratch at the cat’s ears. 

Yuuya’s eyes crinkle in amusement. He scoops up the cat, much in the same way one tries to pick up a sack of potatoes that won’t stay still, and they head the rest of the way up the stairs. Yuuya’s bedroom is in the middle of the hallway, in a room as equally exciting as Yuuma’s. There’s a fireman’s pole and a comfy bed, and everything around the room reminds Yuuma of a gymnastics gym.

With both of them inside the room, Yuuya closes the door and breathes a sigh of relief. He sets the cat down, running his fingers through her fur as she purrs loudly and brushes up against him.

“Your room is really cool!” Yuuma remarks, hands closing around the fireman pole and spinning around it. “My room has one of these too, and I’ve never met anyone else who had one!”

As Yuuma continues to spin around the pole and marvel at the sights around Yuuya’s bedroom, his friend begins gathering up spare clothes that might fit Yuuma from a dresser tucked into one corner. He picks out a pair of soft jeans and a long-sleeve shirt that reads “Did you  _ egao  _ today?”, which he passes to Yuuma with a chuckle.

“I’ll turn around,” Yuuya says quickly, as Yuuma looks confusedly from side to side about where he’s expected to change. “And then I’ll go next.”

The clothes are only a bit big on him, but he feels even more like an adult dressed in a senior’s fancy attire. The writing on the shirt catches his interest, as do the smiley faces on the shirt. “There’s a duel monster’s card like this …” Yuuma says offhandedly. “I don’t know the name of it, but I’ve seen it in a magazine before.”

“Smile World,” Yuuya supplies. “It’s based off Smile World.”

“It's based off your favourite card then?” Yuuma asks.

“One of my favourites,” Yuuya answers. He gazes thoughtfully at the neon faces on the shirt, appearing reminiscent of a memory that Yuuma can still empathise with. Then with a swing of his body, he spins Yuuma around and says, “Stay faced that way – it's my turn to get changed.”

Yuuma complies. When Yuuya tells him to turn around again, Yuuya's in jeans and a t-shirt as well, still sticking uncomfortably to his damp body. His limp hair hangs around his shoulders, which he shakes around to dry it out more. “We should probably get going,” he says as he wipes aside his bangs. “We don't want you to be late. When the last train again …?”

His gaze falls just above Yuuma's head, where, now looking up as well, Yuuma spots a clock. He squints to read the time upside-down.

“It's past midnight,” Yuuma says. Trains run 24/7 throughout the United Dimensions; however, at midnight the trains run every two hours between cities, with one train going back and forth along the lines. If Yuuma were to leave now, he'd made it home barely in time to catch an hour of sleep before he'd need to be up for school  _ and  _ duel school.

Yuuya seems to know the Maiami-Heartland schedule too. He frowns and crosses his arms. Then, with a sigh, he says, “It can't be helped, I guess. Come on, you can sleep in my room tonight.”

“Here?” Yuuma says, looking around his friend's room. Here, sleeping with Yuuya? Yuuma's only ever slept over at Shark's mansion and at Kaito's penthouse – never before could he imagine sleeping with just Yuuya.

“Yeah, I have an extra futon around here, and if we're quiet enough I can probably find you some spare blankets. Just stay here.” Yuuma does. When Yuuya returns, he has his arms full with one futon, rolled up for easy carrying and storage, and one small tote bag inside which Yuuma spots a cream-coloured sheet and a soft comforter. Yuuya sets up the bed next to his, so that Yuuma is sleeping directly below and to the side of Yuuya. The futon is then fitted with the sheet and the blanket is placed on top.

Sitting back on his heels, Yuuya looks up and down at Yuuma. “Are you going to be OK sleeping in jeans? I have pyjamas ...”

“All good,” Yuuma says. He flops down on the bed and nestles under the covers; only his face peeks out from under the comforter. “You're going to be exhausted if you stay up late.”

Yuuya can't hide the yawn that nearly sends him crashing down on the bed. Still in his jeans, he crawls into bed and, once under the sheets, peeks over the side of the bed. Yuuma can still see his friend's glowing, red eyes, with one side appearing tinged orange in the bright moonlight that streams through the window. By the way the light enters the room, Yuuya appears as an angel.

The moment Yuuya closes his eyes, Yuuma whispers, “Hey, Yuuya?”

“Yeah?”

“Let's remember today, OK?”

Come morning time, Yuuma wakes up, stretches his arms above his head, feels slightly silly for wearing jeans to bed, and –

Jeans. He's wearing jeans, which he hardly wears because it impairs jumps and spins. His mind jumps forward and Yuuma notices that, in fact, there are several things different about this morning. He's not in a bed but lying on a futon on the floor, though there is a bed positioned just above him with the covers pulled up tight. Warm sunlight pours down from a high window and from several smaller, slitted windows fitted into the walls of the room. Akari isn’t in his face berating him to get out of bed and start his day –

“School!” Yuuma shouts, throwing himself forward, arms waving –

And he hits Yuuya on the face with the palm of his hand. The other boy moans and rolls away, then back to where Yuuma is now standing, blankets pooled at his ankles, and expression far too awake for just getting up.

“Yuuya!” Yuuma says, shaking his friend’s shoulders. “You’re going to be late to class.”

“So are you,” Yuuya mumbles, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “What time is it …?”

Yuuma looks back up at the clock on the wall, which is far easier to read in the sunlight. 

“It’s noon.” Yuuma pushes at Yuuya’s shoulder, who continues to wake up with the speed of a turtle. “Yuuya, it’s  _ noon!  _ We’ve slept the day away.” Yuuma quickly begins throwing himself together, nearly taking off out the door before he remembers that he’s not in his house and that he can’t just be wandering through the Sakaki household.

Speaking of which …

“Hey, where’s your mum?”

“Out, most likely. She probably heard us come up late and let us sleep in. She’ll berate me for it later, I’m sure.”

“Sis would never let me sleep in,” Yuuma says. “She’ll shake me awake even when I’ve barely slept the night. It’s why she didn’t want me to go to duel school because she knew I’d get so tired and things like this would happen, even though skipping school has only happened maybe  _ twice _ at most.” Yuuma rubs at his nose and laughs. “She cares too much.”

“My mom can be very … doting,” Yuuya says at last. “But she means well.” He stretches once more before getting out of bed and slipping past Yuuma. “Mom always has breakfast ready for me, so we can eat and then head off to duel school. For the first time, I’ll get to see you teach today.”

This makes Yuuma smile wider. If Yuuya sees him duel, then his partner will know just how good he is at dueling and making strategic plays. Yuuma can only imagine how exciting it will be to have Yuuya sitting next to him, maybe even teaching with him, as Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya eagerly listen to his lessons. Then, when they move to the duel room to practice, Yuuma and Yuuya can show the students how pros battle. 

Yuuma keeps these warm thoughts tucked in his mind as he and Yuuya descend to the lower level, where Yuuya next makes a sharp turn into the kitchen. The cupboards are all soft wood with dark accents, contrasting in such a homey way that Yuuma makes himself right at home at the table. Meanwhile, Yuuya opens the fridge doors and pulls out  _ two  _ plates covered in saran wrap, which he carries to the table. He sets one before Yuuma with a knowing smirk.

“She must’ve heard you come in too.”

Yuuma chuckles and unwraps the plate. There’s egg and rice, plus several pickled vegetables tucked into the opposite corner of the plate. Yuuma notices two large, round slices of tomatoes on his plate, and with his chopsticks he pushes them to the edge of his plate, far away from the rest of his meal.

He catches Yuuya looking at him from across the table, midway into a bite of rice and tomato himself, and blushes. “Want them?” Yuuma asks, gesturing to the tomatoes.

Yuuya reaches over the table and plucks from his plate, depositing them next to his other vegetables. He then holds out his plate for Yuuma. “Take some rice - it’s your favourite, isn’t it?”

“It is!” Yuuma shovels two heaping piles onto his plate, then eagerly digs into his breakfast. After his third mouthful, Yuuma can’t help but ask, “How did you know though?”

“Your friend Shark told me,” Yuuya says. “He says you have ‘duel lunches’ that you eat when you need energy. If I wasn’t worried about choking during my matches, I’d bring snacks too!”

“Shark told you about that though?” Of his three friends Yuuya has met, Yuuma hadn’t thought of Shark to be the one to tell Yuuya anything about them. Shark always seems to keep details under lock and key, whereas Alit is too honest and Vector is too open.

“Shark said, and I quote, ‘Do not underestimate Yuuma. He has a heart that never gives up.’” Yuuya takes a bite of his egg and holds his chopsticks aloft. “It was quite beautiful.”

The words bring a red tinge to Yuuma’s stuffed cheeks. Swallowing, Yuuma answers, “Well, Shark’s a feelsy guy. He’d want to talk about that even if it embarrasses him. Shark even says the most embarrassing things when he duels, like ‘The power to believe in people and the heart that never gives up’ and ‘I would’ve liked to see your future alongside you.’”

For some reason, Yuuya only smirks at him.

“And Vector just trolls when he duels, which I’m not sure what that all means, but he loves to joke. When Kotori duels, she’s so supportive! Alit too! And Rio wipes the floor with you when she duels, just like Yuzu.” Sighing, Yuuma looks across the table. “When you duel, Yuuya, it’s like a heart-pumping match.”

Now it’s Yuuya’s cheeks that glow, hidden only when he ducks his head. 

“I was thinking,” Yuuma continues, “that we should teach together today. If you taught Sora, and I teach the junior youth kids, we’d be a perfect match! Don’t you agree?”

With both of their plates cleared, Yuuya stacks them together and takes them to the sink. “What are you teaching right now?” he asks.

“Attack and defense position, but I think it’s time for a midterm!” Grinning, Yuuma continues: “Let’s have a friendly duel with them! We can’t go all-out in our tag-duels like with Yuzu and the others, but I have hope for my students! This can be their first match without that DuelBuddy system Yuzu mentioned. How does that sound?”

“No preparation for them?” Yuuya asks, raising one eyebrow. A slow grin spreads across his face.

“Pop quiz,” Yuuma chuckles. “I have faith in them and their dueling.”

“Then I’m game. We’ll tell Coach about it, OK, and then we’ll bring it to ‘em.”

Yuuma nearly bounces in his seat. He’s going to tag-duel with Yuuya!


	9. Surprise! Tag-Teaming Teachers Yuuma and Yuuya!

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a pop quiz!” Yuuya exclaims before You Show’s three junior youth students. He stands front and centre in the middle of the classroom, arms spread wide. Next to him, Yuuma rolls back and forth on his heels. He and Yuuya are both dressed in what they’d fallen asleep in, and only Yuuya bothered to fix up his hair before they dashed out the door. However, the students still manage to look nervous before their teachers who are barely older than they are.

“A pop quiz?” Ayu says. “On what?”

“And so soon into classes? Don’t scare us like that, teach,” Futoshi says, visibly shaking.

Tatsuya says nothing.

Then the three children look to Yuuya, confused.

“How come you’re here, Big Bro Yuuya?” Ayu asks. “Are you taking the pop quiz too?”

Yuuya laughs. “I’m helping Yuuma with it,” he explains. “I’ll let Yuuma explain it to you though, since he’s your actual teacher.” With a bow, Yuuya steps back; when Yuuma doesn’t step forward, Yuuya tugs him ahead.

“Ah, yes! Well –” Yuuma claps his hands together. “Today’s a pop quiz day. We won’t be writing anything today, and there’s no lesson other than this quiz. However, here’s what we’ll do: you three will duel Yuuya and I.” An audible grin follows.

“Both of you?” Futoshi says. “At once?”

“Three vs. two surely shouldn’t be too difficult,” Yuuma explains, “and Yuuya and I will still take a handicap to help you out. Besides, the point of the duel isn’t – and never will be – about winning. We’re all learning how to duel, even Yuuya and I. That means that today, just like any other day, we’ll be practicing our skills and working together. Now, Yuzu says you use DuelBuddy automated systems when dueling, right?”

“Right,” Ayu says, holding up her duel disk. Attached to it is a small, black box located just above the deck slot. There are two wires that then fit inside the deck slot that Yuuma assumes connect to the duel disk’s display and interface. When Yuzu had explained the technology to him, she describes it as an AI assistant that prompted the children about what plays they could make each turn.

“We won’t be using DuelBuddy today,” Yuuma says. “Practice makes perfect, right? We’ll just take our time and practice with what we already know.”

None of his students seem convinced by Yuuma’s optimism, yet they all unplug their DuelBuddies and place them in their backpacks. Then, once everyone has their duel disks set up and their decks ready, Yuuma and Yuuya lead the children out of the classroom and across the hallway to the duel room. The Action Duel technology is already up and running, creating a whirring noise that already gets Yuuma’s heart pumping and his feet moving.

“You three, on that side! Yuuya and I will take the other. You’re starting with 8000 LP, and Yuuya and I will start with 2000.”

Yuuya laughs. “I’ve dueled enough times with this starting LP.”

“Then we’ll already be set!”

Across the field, the children stand side by side, duel disks raised and ready to battle. They all look too serious, so Yuuma yanks down the lower lids of his eyes and sticks his tongue out. “Come on, you guys! Enjoy yourselves! You’re always supposed to have fun while dueling, and if you aren’t then it’s not a duel.”

The Solid Vision system whirs to life. When the lights dazzle the stage, flowers blossom from the ground and sweep across the remaining landscape. The walls become the blue sky that rises up to hold large, fluffy clouds that float over the duelists’ heads. The far-too-real breeze and ocean smells sweep by them all; across the Field, the children breathe a sigh of relief.

“The aim of this game isn’t to win - it’s to show me what you’ve learned! You already know so much, so just put your best foot forward and take the challenge!”

“Duel start!” Yuuya tags on. Their duel disks activate, calling out the starting LP, the Field name, and commencing the match.

Tatsuya, the quietest of the children, goes first. He draws, hold his arm steady as he examines each of his cards. When he plays, Yuuma’s heart leaps when he calls out his monster, Summoning him in Attack position. As the first duelist to go, he can’t attack until everyone’s taken their first turn; however, he sets a card before he ends.

“That’s a great play!” Yuuya calls out. “You’re setting up a strong offense, and I reckon that spell card will act to either boost your offense, or to defend you from opposing attacks.”

Tatsuya ducks his head in embarrassment, but then lifts it and smiles. “Thanks, big bro!”

“Just don’t tell us what your set card is!” Yuuma adds. “I’ve made that mistake before!”

Next is Futoshi, who draws with gusto and spins on one foot. Yuuya and Yuuma clap excitedly for him. Unlike Tatsuya, Futoshi barely looks at his card before he plucks one up and sets a monster face-down and in defense position. Satisfied, he stares at them down the field. “Monsters, when normal-summoned, always go in face-down defense position,” he says proudly.

“That’s right!” Yuuma says.

It’s then Ayu who draws, once again making a quick play: she plays a Field card, then Special Summons a monster in Attack position, and finally sets one card in her spell/trap zone.

The confidence in each of the children warms Yuuma’s heart. He remembers being a new duelist and feeling unsure about each of his plays. He never won any duels in elementary school and none of his cards ever seemed strong enough to defeat someone older than him. His students though - Yuuma has high hopes for them.

With a cheer, Yuuma draws. He looks at the cards in his hands, then back at the children standing stiffly across the Field. “You’re Entertainment duelists, aren’t you? Then you can’t be standing still for this duel - you’ve gotta move to the beat!” Yuuma jumps into the air just as a strong breeze blows by; his feet seem to catch on an imaginary step that takes him at least ten feet higher than the other duelists. The view from this height is breaktaking: Yuuma looks out at the wide sea and towards a bright sun.

Yuuma knows he should take it easy on his students, yet he also can’t help the energy that buzzes through him. He Summons, then Special Summons, then Xyz Summons - a classic move that any Heartland duelist would do, but it leaves the children gaping at Hope who stands astutely on the Field. Two glowing balls encircle Hope, representing his Xyz materials that Yuuma will use next turn to boost Hope’s ATK.

“Yuuma!” Ayu cries. “You can’t just Xyz Summon on your first turn!”

“And why not?” Yuuma retorts. “Is there a rule against it?”

Tatsuya frowns. “Well, no,” he says, “but to bring out such a high monster already … You can’t possibly expect us to defeat that, can you?

Yuuma doesn’t seem to think it’s all that impressive, though he can imagine how frightening Hope must be to students who’ve only seen Xyz monsters in pro-league matches. Yuuma turns to Yuuya. “What are you going to do, partner? Bring out your ace too.”

As another gust of wind blows by, Yuuya jumps, catching his heels on the next invisible platform that sends him up towards the heavens. As he ascends, he cries, “Ladies and Gentlemen!” and draws, sweeping his arm through the firmament and glancing at everyone beneath him. “Everyone, you are here for a great spectacle today! Gathered here we have three of Maiami’s newest and strongest Entertainers, matched up against You Show’s two student teachers, a Pendulum and an Xyz duelist. Let’s go!”

Yuuya jumps. He spreads his arms and legs and catches the next breeze which sends him up to another platform, this one just above Yuuma. Drawing, Yuuya holds his cards aloft. “Which one should I play,” he muses, before he holds out a card for everyone to see. “Entermate Hip Hippo!”

The same monster Yuuma when he and Yuuya rode into City appears in the air. Its pink body jumps up and down the beat of an imaginary tune; Yuuya taps his feet in rhythm with his monsters. “Now, watch closely!” Yuuya picks up two more cards and holds them out for everyone to see. Yuuma has never paid close attention to his classmate’s deck before, but with Yuuya now holding out his cards for the students to see, Yuuma can spot the little diamonds located near the card’s descriptions.

Yuuya slaps them down on his duel disk, and next to him two pillars of light shoot down behind him. His monsters then _rise_ up in the light pillars, glowing heavenly as a bright chasm opens up between the pendulum monsters. Then Yuuya cries out again, “Come forth, my monsters!”

The Pendulum spins faster and faster, creating a whirlwind that only when it slows reveals the monster. Odd-Eyes appears as the same size as Hope, spreading its wide wings and arching its reptilian neck. Its heterochromia eyes scan from one side of the Field to the other, falling upon both Yuuma and on the students.

“A Pendulum monster,” they breathe.

Yuuya sets one card and smiles. “Turn end.”

On the next turn, Tatsuya Flip Summons his monster, but soon realises that he still cannot attack. Yuuma deduces that his card is a Trap, and as such Tatsuya has to wait until someone attacks him. Futoshi Flip Summons as well, and while his monster does not have the highest of ATK, its effect is equally dangerous. But then Futoshi does something different: he Special Summons Gilasaurus, whose Monster Effect only works in Futoshi’s favour since neither Yuuya nor Yuuma have Monsters in their Graveyard. Then he releases both monsters to Advance Summon Dark Tyranno, whose ATK surpasses both Hope and Odd-Eyes.

Yuuma gasps. “Look at that Summon!” he cheers.

Futoshi declares an attack on Hope. However, Yuuma is quick to intercept: by removing one of  Hope’s Xyz Materials, he boots Hope’s ATK over Futoshi’s monster and destroys Dark Tyranno instead. Futoshi’s eyes widen and he chews his lip.

Yuuma continues to grin. “Look at that amazing attack! You brought out a really powerful Monster!”

“But it still died,” Futoshi mumbles, looking down at his feet.

“Well, that’s why you just have to try again!” Yuuma insists. “This is just practice, and I’m so happy to see you pull off such a turn!”

Next to him, Yuuya adds, “Even some of my strongest attacks won’t go through my opponent’s defenses, but I can’t give up. I just have to rebuild my forces and try again.”

The three children nod, resolved and determined. Ayu goes next, but after some deliberation she sighs and says, “I don’t have any good cards yet.”

“Play defensively then,” Yuuma suggests. “If you can’t attack, the best you can do then is build up your defenses to make it to another turn.”

Then it’s Yuuma’s turn. Every since his first turn, Yuuma has felt something bubbling deep within him, but he tries to ignore it in favour of teaching his students. However, the feeling grows; it seems to tug at Yuuma’s feet and encourage him to jump, climb, and spin. In a way, it feels like when he connected with Astral. When he and Astral came together to form Zexal, Yuuma’s heart would feel like it was going to burst with all the energy between them. With that same feeling inside him, Yuuma wonders what he can try.

As he draws, he begins to move. There is a card a few steps above his head that catches Yuuma’s attention. He’s seen Yuuya grab the cards before, swearing by them as much as Yuuma swears by Trap cards, and he wonders if this card will have any Effect that could help him show off to everyone. However, with the card being up above him, Yuuma struggles to stretch up to the next invisible level. His feet scrabble at thin air for any kind of foothold that can pull him up onto the platform –

Something boosts him from below. Two strong hands grab the heels of his shoes and _push,_ catapulting Yuuma up and over the ledge and onto the platform. Then two hands replace where he once was, and Yuuma hurries to the edge to pull Yuuya up with him. His partner chuckles at the top. “An Action Card?”

Yuuma grabs the card between his fingers, flipping it around for the children to see. At first, the card is blank, but it quickly glows to reveal the card. “Over Sword!” The monster’s attack shoots up. Yuuma lowers his hand, points to Tatsuya’s Set monster, and declares an attack. Tatsuya goes to stop the attack, but the Action Card negates any interference.

The buzzing inside Yuuma increases. He hears the crowd cheer and his students gasp, and all around him the Field suddenly seems _alive._ Yuuma watches as his Duel Monster turns back to face to him, and Hope’s eyes seem to crinkle in a smile. Before the children become hopeless again, Yuuma is quick to praise Tatsuya for his valiant efforts and for giving it his all.

“If you give up,” he explains, “it’ll be even harder to get better. You’ve just gotta smile through it and enjoy the Duel.”

_Agreed._

Yuuma looks up at Hope. Whether he heard his father’s voice or Astral’s voice or even _Hope’s_ voice, Yuuma knows someone is watching him. He wants to tell Yuuya about it too, but thinks better of it when he remembers what he has and hasn’t told Yuuya yet. If he told Yuuya he was hearing voices, he might have to tell Yuuya about who Astral truly was to him. Not that Yuuma is worried that Yuuya will tease him for talking to dueling spirits or Duel Monsters, but that Yuuya might try to look into Yuuma’s own past.

Yuuma doesn’t want Yuuya to find out about the Barians. Yuuma wants Yuuya to remember his friends for who they are now, not who they once were. Rather than erase the past, Yuuma wants to pretend that everyone can move on from it. He’ll tell Yuuya, “You don’t need to be sad over this” and prove to him that everyone can be forgiven.

As the duel monsters continue to call out to him, Yuuma lets their words drive him to finish the duel. His students don’t seem to get frustrated when he and Yuuya make complicated plays together, spinning and twirling in sync. At times, Yuuya looks longingly at his monsters as well, and Yuuma wonders if perhaps Yuuya can hear his Duel Monster’s voice too. What does Odd-Eyes sound like?

When the duel concludes and the VR system powers down, Yuuma leaps down the remaining steps as the Field disintegrates. He lands firmly on two feet next to Yuuya, who has already begun praising the students for their valiant efforts. Yuuma joins in, complimenting each of them for what he’d noticed during the duel. Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya seem to glow under the praise as both seniors tell them about each of their attacks.

“You’ve passed,” Yuuma says as an afterthought. “I already knew you would.”

“Do you have Action Duels where you live?” Ayu asks.

“Not really,” Yuuma admits, “but if I showed you some of my friends’ duels, you’d surely call them Entertainment duels. Shark, Kaito, Mizael, Chris … everyone has their own way of bringing it to the audience and the Duel Monsters.”

Yuuya nods. “Action Duels involve everyone. In the past, duelists even used to _ride_ on their Duel Monsters.”

Yuuma notices the opportunity to ask about hearing the Duel Monsters. As Yuuya goes on to tell the students about the peaceful origins of Entertainment dueling – and failing to mention what violent histories such duels had – Yuuma casually asks, “And how about talking with your monsters?”

Yuuya stops. “You mean their voices?”

“Yeah, like you’re always calling out to the audience and to your opponent, bringing everyone together and such. Do you ever just talk to your monsters too? And do they talk back?”

Yuuma shakes his head far too quickly. “Duel Monsters are realistic holograms,” he says. “They can duel with you, but they’re not sentient creatures so they can’t fully participate. I wish they could though … Can you imagine dueling alongside your monsters?”

Yuuma can imagine dueling alongside someone. Astral was more important than anything in his deck, yet Yuuma would happily compare his connection to Hope to that of Astral. If the power of Solid Vision technology could make holograms realistic, then Yuuma wonders if perhaps the same power could also bring Astral back. When the Barians returned, it was because they could assume a human form. The Astralians, however, remained in their own world; without a human form to return to, due to their constant Ranking Up, they could never descend back into the mortal plane.

However, Yuuya does not seem interested in this idea. He laughs at off, appearing uncomfortable. “That already happens, but duel monsters are still holograms at best. They don’t have a personality or soul to them … yet.”

“But they will,” Yuuma says. “Right? Chris and Kaito say that there are so many updates to Solid Vision systems –”

“That’s for something else,” Yuuya says. “Maybe, Yuuma, we should finish up the lesson …” He glances towards the three students who, while seeming interested in the conversation, also must have to run home to do chores and homework.

Collecting himself, Yuuma turns to faces them and salutes. “My honourable students, you have … er … proved yourself worthy on the battlefield. Your varying –  I mean valiant – efforts show your remarkable strengths. I am very happy to be your teacher, so, so much that I can’t wait for our next duel, OK? Come back next week and we’ll try this again.” Laughing, Yuuma claps his hands together. “Class dismissed!”

A chorus of “thank you, Teacher Yuuma!” rings through the duel room, followed by an equally cheery “Thank you, Big Bro Yuuya!” The children give both of them one more wave goodbye before they head out the double-doors and into the hallway. Yuuma can hear their chatter for moments afterwards.

“That went well, don’t you think?” Yuuma says to Yuuya.

“Yeah,” his friend answers. Yuuma doesn’t think he’s paying much attention.

“Hey, what are you thinking about?”

“You heard them … the duel monsters’ voices.”  Yuuya looks up at him. “You aren’t supposed to hear things with Solid Vision. It’s all special effects and fancy technology.”

Yuuma raises his hands in defense. “I didn’t say that - I said it would be cool to talk to the monsters, not that _I_ heard them or anything. If I did though, what’s the big deal? I mean, there’s a book in the library about Duel Monster theories that describes parallel universes where Duel Monsters exist, or historic recounts of Duelists who could see and interact with Duel Monster spirits.

“And maybe the excitement was just getting to me a bit,” Yuuma adds with a laugh. “Honestly though, if I could talk to duel monsters that would be awesome!”

Yuuya doesn’t answer, for the moment he opens his mouth Yuzu appears around the corner, glaring at both of them. In her hand she holds a long, paper fan, which even from across the room Yuuma can spot the ornate yuzu fruit on the handle of the fan. She claps the weapon against an open palm as she stares them down.

“You skipped,” she mutters. _Slap._ “You skipped class to play Duel Monsters, Yuuya? How did you even get away with this? How did my _father_ let you get away with this - he knows what time school goes until.” She points her fan at Yuuma. “And _you,_ I bet you weren’t in class either and yet here you are, arriving in class before everyone else despite having to travel further than the rest of the class.” She huffs. “Really, you two.”

At once, Yuuma starts talking: “We’re teaching, together! And dueling! And we didn’t go to school because … well …” Yuuma blushes. “We got home late last night in the rain, and I missed the train home, and so Yuuya had to let me stay over –”

“Where did you _go?”_ Yuzu asks. _Slap!_ goes the fan again.

“The City and Academia,” Yuuma answers at once.

 _Slap!_ “That far?” Yuzu drops the fan to her side and clears the distance between them in three long, fast steps that Yuuma watches with wide eyes. When Akari berates him, she is quick to bring up past problems and whine about the woes of being an older sibling. However, Yuzu seems intent to settle this then and there without bringing anything else up. The fan, unfortunately, makes Yuuma cringe.

“That’s just across the bridge,” Yuuya says, and with a laugh he adds, “We even took the motorbike across.”

Yuzu shivers. “Don’t remind me of the time I was on a motorbike with someone like you,” she jokes. Becoming more serious, she says, “So that’s why you skipped class? Because you both stayed out late last night.” A long-suffering sigh, enunciated by one more slap of the fan. “Honestly, you two.”

“Honestly, we taught a class together!” Yuuma says.

“That really has nothing to do with skipping class.”

Yuuya shrugs. “If I was in class, I wouldn’t have been able to teach alongside Yuuma.”

“Still,” Yuzu says. She rolls her eyes and leans back, looking past both of them and up at the glass windows paneling the roof. Without the VR technology in action, the room looks quite boring. “It can’t be helped.”

As they continue talking, Yuuma thinks to ask Yuzu about hearing duel monsters talk, but he hold his tongue when Yuzu begins to catch up Yuuya on what he missed in each of his classes today. Something about the conversation with Yuuya leaves a weird feeling inside him, the same feeling that makes him want to tell Chris and Kaito to stop making Entertainment dueling so weird. If such side effects such as hearing duel spirits is wrong, why are Action Duel technologies marketed globally? Why would the Akabas, who Yuuma can’t imagine doing anything hurtful, sell technology that puts duelists in danger?

The question remains firmly lodged in his mind that Yuuma struggles to pay attention to anything else in class, even when he, Yuuya, and Yuzu begin dueling together. The monsters’ voices stick in his head as reminders to when Yuuma heard Astral’s voice, standing alongside him and guiding him. If the same technology could bring Astral back to him …

And Yuuya’s friends. Yuuma wonders if Solid VR could bring back Yuuya’s counterparts, if he can consider them to be anything like Astral. Wherever everyone is, Yuuma is certain that between Heartland and Maiami technology there is potential to reunite everyone.

Even after class, the thought remains in his mind. Yuuma haphazardly says goodbye to Yuuya and Yuzu as he gathers his things and rushes to the train. If there is anyone Yuuma can call to ask about this new idea, it’s Kaito, who Yuuma thinks will probably be awake at this time. He starts the phone call as he rides through the city on his heelies, avoiding what remaining people there are on the streets. The rain drips down from the sky in a steady rhythm that still soaks him, but at least Kaito on the phone doesn’t seem bothered by the noise.

“What do you want, Yuuma?” he says when he answers the call.

Yuuma gets right to the point: “I hear duel monsters!”

And Kaito drops his D-Gazer. Yuuma hears the crackle and clatter of the microphone hitting the floor, followed by a buzzing sound as Kaito retrieves the device and holds on it. He looks shocked, eyes focused on the screen and lips pursed tight. It’s the same face Kaito gets whenever he’s trying to solve a mystery.

“And how am I supposed to believe this?” he asks.

“You believed me when I told you about Astral, and this is just like that!” Yuuma reaches into his Extra Deck and holds out his Hope card for Kaito to see. “In my duels today, Hope was talking to me! I heard him! He didn’t say much, just ‘Agreed!’, but can you imagine if there were duel spirits who could say more and more, like Astral? Like maybe not exactly like Astral because he’s a spirit from the Astral World and they all talk over there, but maybe there’s more Parallel Worlds –”

“Where did you hear him?” Kaito interrupts.

Yuuma sighs. “I told you, I heard him in a duel.”

“With who?”

“Well, there were multiple duels …” Yuuma admits. “I did kinda skip class today.”

“That’s not important,” Kaito says. “I want to know what _triggered_ this moment.”

“I don’t _know,”_ Yuuma sighs. “I was dueling with Yuuya first, and we were letting the junior youth students test out their skills. Then afterwards I dueled with Yuzu and Yuuya, and it was a weird 1 vs. 1 vs. 1 duel that made it really hard not to gang up on one another –”

“Action Dueling, isn’t it?” Kaito asks. “That’s another name for Entertainment duels.”

“Oh yeah, and then I was using Action Cards! Did you know there’s cards all over the Field with special abilities, and all you have to do is activate them to save yourself from the worst of situations. Yuuya says –”

Kaito keeps cutting him off though. “I don’t care what your friend says, Yuuma. What’s important to me is what those Action Duels or Entertainment Duels are doing to the duelists. You said you’re hearing voices? Are you sure they’re from the monsters?”

Yuuma shrugs. If he thinks hard about it, he can’t really pinpoint the voice on Hope when it could have come from any other monster during that duel, but something inside him says that it couldn’t have been anything else. “Who else could it have been?” Yuuma answers. “Why would anyone else but Hope talk to me?”

His words don’t seem to ease Kaito’s mind; through the screen of his D-Gazer, Kaito looks increasingly harried. After a moment, he sets down the device. “I need to have a word with Chis.”

“Hey!” Yuuma shouts as Kaito’s vision fades out of the D-Gazer’s line of vision. “You two always leave me out of your adult conversations –”

Kaito hangs up on him.

_Fine._

Yuuma pockets his D-Gazer, pauses, and then pulls it out to text Shark. Even if Shark won’t text him back, Yuuma knows that he’ll always have his phone next to him and will have read the message.

_hey shark i heard hope’s voice today in a duel!!! so cool huh! does this happen to you too?_

He gets a text back not moments later: _what the fuck, Yuuma._

Yuuma laughs out loud. _I hear voices that aren’t astral’s but maybe they could be and i don’t know why but it’s really exciting ~~~_

Shark doesn’t reply to that one. However, not moments later his D-Gazer is buzzing for a call, which Yuuma quickly answers. Rather than just Shark’s face in the screen, Rio and Mizael are there as well. All of them are in pyjamas, likely considering the late hour, and sporting varying expressions of concern.

“You’re hearing things?” Mizael says bluntly.

“In a duel,” Yuuma says. “When I was dueling today, I could hear Hope calling out to me. He was talking to me, just like Astral used to!”

“That’s not supposed to happen,” Shark says. “Are you sure you weren’t imagining it? I’ve seen your duels get out of hand far too quickly –”

“It wasn’t like that,” Yuuma insists. At the Barians’ confused expressions, Yuuma continues: “It wasn’t even like when I dueled with Astral. It was a different feeling. There … there was something inside of me that was active, like another me or another energy, and it kept bubbling up. And then I heard Hope talk, and maybe Hope made me feel that way or maybe it was just the excitement of the duel, but I heard him talk! He said to me, and I so quote” – Yuuma clears his throat – “‘Agreed.’”

There is silence over the call. None of the Barians seem to react at first, and then they cringe.

“Are you _sure_ that was Hope?” Mizael says. “That’s not very … important.”

Bristling, Yuuma grips the D-Gazer tighter. “It is too! Hope talked to me.”

“When duel monsters were talking, it was back when duel spirits were active and visible by a small percentage of duelists. That phenomenon hasn’t occurred for _ages_ though, and it’s certainly not anything I’d chalk up to you hearing _one_ word that has no significance to anyone in this room.”

What Mizael says only makes Yuuma more indignant. “Kaito,” he begins, enunciating the name loud and clear to make it sound as if he’s referencing a renowned scientist, “is studying Real Solid Vision. I’m sure it can have such an effect on duelists - if duel monsters are tangible, shouldn’t they also be able to talk?”

“No,” Rio says immediately.

“And remember the spirits we saw in the Numbers Ruins,” Yuuma continues. “Those guys spoke too!”

“That’s because those were the guardians of the ruins,” Mizael says. “Duel monsters don’t just talk to you, and if they are I would be worried. Galaxy Eyes and Mach are not examples you should be referring to because they are tied to our past lives and to the ruins those monsters protected. What you are mentioning sounds as if Hope was talking with you during the duel … almost as if Hope was a part of the duel too.”

“Kaito says that Entertainment duels could be part of it because they involve everyone –”

“But duel monsters?” Rio retorts. “No matter what the books say, if monsters are communicating to you I’d be worried as well.”

Yuuma sinks lower in his seat. “Way to sound excited about my glorious discovery,” he mutters.

The three Barians sigh in harmony.

“Yuuma, that’s not what I mean,” Shark says. “I don’t _care_ how your duel is going or how exciting it becomes. What’s concerning to me is that Entertainment duels affect others. If we are going off what Vector said  – and I’ll regret saying this I’m sure – then wouldn’t those Entertainment duelists communicate with their monsters and force them to become violent? Doesn’t this sound like a glitch in the system that’s repeating the past?”

“No, it _doesn’t,”_ Yuuma retorts. “It sounds like you’re making a big deal of something promising!”

“Promising how?” Rio asks. “If you put yourself in danger, what are you getting out of it?”

“Can the other duelists hear their monsters too?” Shark adds.

Yuuma thinks back to his duel with Yuuya. When he’d told the Maiami duelist about hearing Hope’s voice, Yuuya had become quite spooked when Yuuma had told him about the talking monsters. If what Vector says is true about violent Entertainment duels, perhaps hearing the monsters’ voices is a trigger for that. Yuuma doesn't want to think the past can happen again since he imagines that mistakes cannot be made twice, but perhaps the glitch in the system is more than a simple cure can resolve.

“Well, I don’t know. Maybe. Yuuya didn’t want to answer.”

“That’s suspicious,” Shark says bluntly.

“It’s just a strange topic to have,” Yuuma says with a roll of his eyes. “I didn’t tell you all this just so you can make a big deal of it - it’s something to be excited about. If I can hear Hope’s voice, who’s to say I won’t hear Astral’s?”

The duel spirit’s name startles the Barians, who up until that point had become rather bored and frazzled on the small viewing screen. They now appear alert and attentive.

“Astral?” Shark says. “He’s back home though.” With a sigh, Shark says, “You don’t think you can actually hear him again? He’s back home with his family. Without a human form, he won’t be able to return here –”

“I’d be able to hear him though,” Yuuma insists. “One more time I would hear his voice.”

This time, the Barians don’t appear to roll their eyes. In fact, Yuuma catches them appearing quite uncomfortable and demure. Even Mizael who can meet anyone’s gaze has averted his eyes to stare at his hands.

“You’re all together, and I’m sure Astral is happy where he is, but …” Yuuma sighs. “I still miss him. If I could hear him again, or even have one more chance to say goodbye to him, I’d take it if it cost me my life –”

“Don’t say stupid things like that,” Shark mutters.

Yuuma clenches his hands in fists. “It’s true though, Shark! I’d give up my life if you or anyone else left too! I want you all here, with me –”

Shark pulls the D-Gazer forward until it’s only focused on him. His eyebrows are knitted over narrowed, stormy eyes that seem to look well past Yuuma and into his soul. His lips purse in a thin line before he opens them to say, “Don’t _ever_ say dumb shit like that around us. No one wants to hear you say you’ll throw away your life for someone who doesn’t matter as much as you. If you can hear Astral, then great. Keep dueling. But _don’t_ throw away your life chasing that silly dream.”

“I didn’t _say_ that –”

“You did,” Shark cuts him off. “You did, and I want to hear none of it. No one’s life is more important than your own.”

Sensing the end of the argument, Yuuma tries to laugh it off. “There’s some people – some memories – that I’d hold onto forever. You three … you aren’t so different from me. You all died protecting who you loved. But,” Yuuma says, raising a finger, “I won’t give up on anyone. Those duel monsters’ voices will lead me back to Astral, and will lead Yuuya to those he’s lost, and maybe … maybe dueling will become a spectacle again.”

The line is silent. Then, “Fucking sentimental.”

Yuuma laughs. “I promise, Shark! I promise nothing bad will come from this –”

“I’ve heard that before,” he growls.

Next to him, Rio adds, “We’re just worried, Yuuma. Don’t get yourself stuck in something out of your control. Have hope, but don’t be an idiot.”

Mizael’s words ring in Yuuma’s ears: “If you’re hearing things, who’s to say you’re the only one?”

They hang up on him before Yuuma can get a word in. Well _fine,_ be ominous! Yuuma doesn’t care if all the adults shut him out of their deep, important conversations that he somehow won’t understand. He’ll duel how he wants to duel, with hope and smiles – and if Hope can hear him, Yuuma will surely listen.


	10. Yuuya and Yuzu in Heartland City? The Start of an Exciting Summer Vacation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry everyone that this is a day late - my life has been really wild this week because i'm going to Europe!! next week's chapter might also be a day late, but i'll try my best to have it online on Monday! thank you for understanding (:

“What?” Yuuma shouts, throwing both hands down on his desk that results in a  _ bang!  _ loud enough to catch the attention of every other student in the room. “What do you mean there’s no duel school during summer break?”

“There  _ is,”  _ Yuzu insists, “but it’s not every day, and it’s at different times. Since you’re new to You Show, you’re probably the only one in this grade who hasn’t seen it before.” From inside her backpack she pulls out a brochure, brightly coloured with the school’s logo and a picture of the outside of the building. The inside highlights the classes and courses that Yuuma remembers seeing during his orientation, as well as the little box labeled “tuition” that had given him much grief. However, there is now another box, larger than the tuition section, labelled “Holidays”. 

_ You Show Duel School,  _ it reads,  _ is open during Maiami’s school breaks, three days per week, in the mid-afternoon. You Show is not open during weekend or statutory holidays _ . Beneath the writing are the specific dates, running from late-July to late-August for the summer break. Yuuma sighs.

Yuuya peeks over Yuuma’s shoulder and glances at the brochure. “I’ve heard that some schools have different breaks, like City has a longer fall break because of the rainy weather. Does Heartland have the same breaks?”

Yuuma nods. “That’s not what I’m worried about though. My sister and grandmother are already suspicious enough about my whereabouts - what am I going to tell them now that duel school is earlier? And I think my sister is making me take supplemental classes, so I have to go to those even if they end up cutting into my duel school time.”

“They still don’t know you’re here?” Yuzu says. “Where do they think you’re going?”

“To study with Vector and Alit, my classmates,” Yuuma replies. “They’ll help me keep a secret. But …” Yuuma looks at the pamphlet. 

“Why don’t you just tell them the truth?” Yuuya says. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

“My sister doesn’t like me focusing on dueling instead of studying, and she doesn’t want to hear that I’m staying up late –”

“Are you  _ sure  _ she doesn’t know?” Yuzu says. “Because no offense, but your lie is weak. Anyone could see through that. Maybe it’s time you told her the truth. If she’s worried about tuition, tell her that you’re working it off from teaching the junior youths. If she’s worried about late class times, then you can assure her that you’ll be coming home early during the break. The longer you hide this from her though, the angrier she’ll be when she finds out.”

“ _ If  _ she finds out,” Yuuma corrects, not ready to believe that Akari and Gran are simply turning a blind eye to his secretive duel classes. If Akari ever found out about You Show, she would not be happy. 

“You’ll still be able to come though, right?” Yuuya leans against the desk, appearing casual despite the urgency in his tone. “I could even, worse come to worse, bike you back from duel school. I don’t know if that will be faster, or if your sister will even consider that less dangerous than taking the train home, but we can figure something out, right?”

Yuuma imagines biking home with Yuuya, wind in his hair and the stars illuminating the bridge. The roads would be clear and the ride calm; it would just be him and Yuuya, once again in sync. Yuuma would set his hands on Yuuya’s hips, and Yuuma would lean back into him with each turn, and –

“Yuuma!” A pair of fingers snap in his face; it’s Yuzu, who chuckles when he wakes up from his daydreaming. “I was saying that just like our classes, the junior youths come to fewer classes too. This means you’ll be teaching less. We’ll have more time to hang out, right?”

“We should go back to the City,” Yuuma says at once. “It’s a daytrip, but if we’ve got the summer all to ourselves, we can plan that trip. You’ve been before, right, Yuzu?”

“Yep,” Yuzu replies. “Although it’s been a while since I went. Last year, I think it was.”

“We’ll go again,” Yuuma assures them both. 

“And your sister? What will she say?” Yuzu asks.

Yuuma shrugs. “As long as I’m safe, she’s happy.”

When they team up for duels, once again Yuuya, Yuzu, and Yuuma group together. Yuuya claims he can take on both of them, so he and Yuzu partner up. Melodious and Gagaga vs. Performapal - Yuuya struggles against both of their attacks, but being able to Pendulum Summon gives him an advantage that picks at the weak points of his opponents’ decks. Ever since their first duel, Yuuma has tried to come up with the perfect counter-strategy against Yuuya’s deck, including spell removal and card-banishing moves. However, it becomes impossible to land an attack against a duelist whose offense is equally powerful and topples and any all of his and Yuzu’s offensive strikes.

While he duels, Yuuma tries to hear the voices of his monsters. Most of the time, all he can hear is the squeak of shoes on the floor, of cheers and cries from successful and missed attacks, and the computerised beeps and whistles of the duel disks logging in new information. There is an even lighter hum encompassing the room from the Real Solid Vision machines above their heads. With each monster summoned, Yuuma awaits their voices.

It’s Yuuya’s monster who answers him. Performapal Friendonkey, recently Summoned to help Yuuya get even more monsters on his field, turns around, dips his head, and to Yuuya’s murmured words that Yuuma can’t even hear, the duel monster answers, “You’re welcome.”

Yuuma wants to cry. He nearly does, shoving his fist into his mouth to muffle his excitement. If Yuuma thinks back to his duels with Yuuya, there had always been duel monsters involved in his routines. It is even likely that said duel monsters were  _ talking  _ with Yuuya like partners in a performance. It had never occurred to Yuuma until then that Entertainment duels were more than spectacles put on by duelists using their monsters and for an audience; in fact, Action Duels were participative duels where everyone - duelist, duel monsters, and audience - played a role in putting on a show. 

Next to him, Yuzu quirks an eyebrow. Yuuma removes his fist from his mouth and chuckles. 

“I know what play I’m going to make! I know how to win!”

And then Yuuya pulls what Yuuma can only describe as a Shining Draw, gets Smile World, and the field erupts in neon lights and fireworks and emoji faces that make Yuuma laugh and cry and chase around the field after then. Whatever magic Smile World has seems to channel into the Real Solid Vision that creates such a serene,  _ kattobingu  _ environment. When the emojis flit by him, Yuuma feels like he’s back in Zexal with Astral. The warmth and happiness their souls created by coming together is a feeling Yuuma never thought could be replicated again … but this? This matches it.

“When you feel sad,” Yuuya says, “just smile.”

Yuuma and Yuzu’s life points drop to zero.

Smile World remains on the field for a few moments more, long enough for Yuuma to close his eyes and feel the energy wrap around his arms and legs. This time, he hears the voices. He hears Hope’s voice and Odd-Eyes’ voice, and a bit further away Bloom Diva is singing an unrecognisable melody that slows Yuuma’s heart rate to a steady beat. The duel slows down with the voices of the duel monsters lulling him into a peaceful state of mind. When Yuuma next opens his eyes, it’s to Yuuya nearly barrelling into him.

“Yuuma, you duel so well!” he cheers. “That was such a fun duel.”

Yuuma stumbles backwards, arms reaching out for any steady object he can hold onto. He lands on his back before he can right himself, Yuuya falling down with him. With Yuuya above him, curious expression on his bright face, Yuuma can almost see Astral in him. There’s no chance that Yuuya could be anything like Astral – after all, he and Astral started out bickering and picking apart each other’s strategies – but maybe Yuuya could be like the friend Astral was.

Yuuma wishes he could tell Yuuya about the monsters talking. Once again, the words sit heavy on his tongue. What stops him is the reminder that Yuuya doesn’t  _ like  _ talking about the duel monster voices, so even if he hears them too, he’ll shut down the conversation. That’s fine with Yuuma: he can keep thinking he’s the only one who hears them.

Around the room, the voices of the other monsters appear to have awoken from the presence of Smile World. The sounds aren’t disrupting by any means, but Yuuma focuses on them instead of anything around him, earning him a strong shake with Yuzu.

“You there? You’re spacing out?”

“It’s nothing!” Yuuma says quickly. 

Yuzu doesn’t believe him. “Sure,” she says, dragging the syllables out. “As our last class of the season, we should go somewhere.”

“Out to eat?” Yuuya suggests. 

Yuzu shuts down that suggestion, and the next few ones that Yuuya throws her way. She explains to them that they can’t just go  _ anywhere  _ for their last day of the semester, and that they might as well make the most of this final day. Shrines, diners, parks, and beaches are all deemed ‘typical’ places. 

“Do you have any suggestions?” Yuuya asks with a laugh. 

“No,” she mutters, “that’s why I was asking for your opinion.”

Before Yuuya can get in another word, Yuuma blurts out, “Come to Heartland!”

Both Maiami duelists pause.

Yuuma continues: “Yeah, come to Heartland. We can still go out to eat and we can walk along the prettiest boardwalk in the city, and then we can watch the city light up with the night. It’s just one train ride over, and we won’t be out so late that you’ll miss the final daily trains.”

Neither duelist seems to have an answer. Yuuya’s face has split in the biggest grin and seems at lost for words in self-afflicted euphoria. Yuzu, meanwhile, appears to be contemplating every option; her lips twitch in the slightest of smiles. Finally, Yuzu sticks out her hand and says, “Shake on it, Yuuma. That’s the best idea I’ve ever heard, but please don’t get us lost.”

Yuuma laughs. “I won’t! I promise!”

When class ends and Shuuzou packs up the remaining school supplies, Yuzu tells her father that they’re going out. Then Yuuma takes them back out the doors and down the streets to the train station, which at this peak hour is jam-packed with workers travelling to and from the districts. Yuuma, Yuuya, and Yuzu cram together first on the platform and then in the train car. There are no other children on this ride, so adults appear to hover over them. None of them get a seat until they arrive at Heartland.

They squeeze out of the doors at the first glimpse of the doors opening; Yuuma grabs Yuuya’s hand who grabs Yuzu’s hands, so they come out of the train as a connected chain. As Yuzu and Yuuya gape at the bright colours and prints in Heartland’s station, it occurs to Yuuma that neither of his friends have been to Heartland before, but …?

“Haven’t you been here before? You’ve been to Academia and City - how come you never came to Heartland?”

“Oh … well, when Academia attacked Heartland was off-limits, so we couldn’t go there,” Yuzu explains. Yuuya must’ve told her about their conversations at Academia so that she would feel comfortable talking about the timeline rewrite. However, it doesn’t satisfy Yuuma.

“Off-limits? You mean destroyed?”

“Yeah,” Yuzu says. “Academia carded everyone in the City, resistor or not, and desecrated the place. It looks like the rewrite fixed all that though.”

It’s saddening to hear that from his friends. Yuuma can’t imagine a time where Heartland wasn’t bubbly and bright –

But he can. Yuuma remembers when Don Thousand came and destroyed Heartland, maybe at the same time in an alternate dimension when Heartland was being attacked by Academia. The city had been corrupted by tainted Barian energy, nothing like what runs through the veins of the current Barians. The city had been sucked dry to find the Numeron Code and to aid in Don Thousand’s destruction. The memories make Yuuma shudder, even when he refuses to forget them. There was light at the end of the story. There was him and Nasch and Kaito and Astral, guardians of the Parallel Worlds, and in body and spirit protecting the life among all the universes.

“Heartland looks much better now,” Yuuma says after a moment. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Outside of the Heartland terminal is equally bubbly and bright. Tall skyscrapers reach for the heavens with their neon-printed designs; tv screens have been installed on every available flat surface to broadcast the newest dueling tournaments, duelists, duel monsters cards, and professional matches. The streets are bathed in the bright colours of the advertisements above. A few blocks away, Yuuma can even hear one of the trucks driving by blasting heart-pumping duel music.

The sights still draw Yuuma in, but he’s used to the constant energy that Heartland gives off. His friends, however, continue to gape. Yuuya jumps a bit when ESPer Robin appears on the screen to Summon his ace monster, Esper Star Sparrow. Yuzu’s eyes seem to jump from one Heartland citizen to the next, all who push by the three children on their way home or to their second jobs.

“You know, this really isn’t so different from Maiami City,” Yuuma jokes.

“It is …” Yuuya says. “The last time I saw Heartland, it didn’t look like this.”

Yuuma shrugs it off, but the haunting of the saying still sticks with him. “Well, do we want to get food already …?” He leaves the question hanging.

“Can we see your school?” Yuzu asks. “Just to see what your life is like, and what schools over here look like.”

“Sure! Only it won’t be exciting because it’s just a normal school and not a duel school, and even then the only duel schools here are one pro-level school.”

“Heartland used to have more duel schools,” Yuuya says, in that same light-but-foreboding tone. “There used to be branches, like Spade and Clover, and I had some friends who went to them, back when Heartland was in another time.” Laughing, Yuuya says, “You know, the duelists from those schools probably went to your high school too, Yuuma.”

“Only I wouldn’t know them,” Yuuma adds with a laugh. “I wish I got to meet everyone …”

“You remind me of Yuuto, in a way. Yuuto had a big heart and only wished the best for everyone. He had a strong set of morals and unwavering devotion to those close to him. But” – and here Yuuya begins giggling as he struggles to hold his words together – “he had such a no-nonsense attitude that I can only imagine him suffering at our dueling antics. Ruri though … she’d like you.”

“And Shun?” Yuzu teases. 

“No offense, Yuuma, but Shun would think you were insufferable.”

Yuuma laughs it off. “That’s fine! I think … I think that happens when you grow older and stop believing in yourself and others. Everyone gets so bitter from real-life that they can’t seem to appreciate anything, even if it’s so, so small.” Yuuma thinks of Kaito and Chris. “But they still believe in others.”

“Hey, do you think the duel school branches will still be here? Maybe even remnants of them?”

Shaking his head, Yuuma answers, “I haven’t heard of a single duel school other than the pro-league Heartland Preparatory Duel School. Dueling is a major sport over here, but duel schools are still new news.”

On the last of the streets, Yuuma spots his school. Heartland Academy takes up the rest of the block. It is a massive building ten stories high with two wings extending and arching on either side of the entrance. In the middle of the school is the dueling fields, designed specifically for students to use for Augmented Reality Duels. Yuuma tells them this is still counterproductive since he’s been in trouble far too many times for re-arranging his deck in preparation for his duels on his lunch break. Yuuma wonders when the Real Solid Vision will be installed into Heartland Academy’s duel court.

The school also features a track course that laps the entire building, and several smaller, grassy fields perfect for relaxing and studying. There are smaller buildings branching off from the two main arcs; these are club rooms or spare storage spaces.

“This is so far from the station,” Yuzu says. “How do you make it to class in time?”

“I run,” Yuuma says with a laugh. “I skip the last hour of class, run or skate to the station, and then head to Maiami. It’s honestly not that bad of a trip when you get used to it. 

Yuuya and Yuzu don’t seem convinced. They do, however, continue to look up at the building. There’s horror behind their eyes.

“Would this have been a duel school back then?” Yuzu says. 

“It’s probably where a duel school once  _ was,”  _ Yuuya answers, “but I don’t see anything left of it.”

“We should go see my friends,” Yuuma says to break the despondent tone. “I mean, whatever happened last time won’t happen again, and you’ll get to see everyone. You only got to see them  _ once,  _ and I swear everyone won’t ask any awkward questions. I just can’t stand to have everyone apart, y’know?”

Yuuya nods. “I understand. It'll be good to meet everyone again on better terms.“

Rather than walk back to the nearest inner-city train or bus station, Yuuma chooses to walk down to the Kamishiro Mansion. It’s not far from the school, tucked back on a cosy side-street with few houses and fewer families. The mansion stands out from the rest of the townhouses: a large, looming fortress with big windows and doors, and a garden outside that catches his friends’ interests.

“How many people live in there?” Yuzu asks.

“Seven, Yuuma answers. “They’ll probably be home too, so you can see everyone.”

Everyone is already waiting. Before Yuuma can knock on the door, it flies open to reveal Vector, grinning happily at the three duelists. “You brought friends, Yuuma-kun!”

Next to him, Shark elbows past Vector. “Move out of the way, asshole.” then, “Hi, Yuuma, and acquaintances.”

“ _ Friends,” _ Yuuma corrects. 

A pause. “What are you doing here?”

“Coming to say hi!” Yuuma chirrups. He steps up to the genkan and begins kicking off his shoes, ignoring Shark’s irritated expression and Vector’s murderous smile. Behind him, Yuuya and Yuzu follow suit, giving gentle waves to the two Barians in sight.

The Kamishiro Mansion is even bigger on the inside. Large, open living rooms bookend either side of the house; through the double doors ahead is the dining hall and kitchen, where Yuuma assumes others will be. A spiral staircase scurries up the many floors to lead towards bedrooms and bathrooms and spare rooms, all occupied. Everything in the house seems to hold a secret: it’s the kind of house that Yuuma has always wanted to play hide-and-seek in. 

“You just came … to say hi?” Shark echoes. “Really, Yuuma?”

“Really, Shark!” Yuuma retorts. “This is Yuuya and Yuzu’s first time in Heartland” – he winks, something that is noticed by  _ everyone  _ in the room – “and I want to show them around.”

“My house is not a tourist attraction,” Shark deadpans.   

From the stairs, Rio adds, “Sometimes it feels like a zoo though.” She plucks at Vector who balances on the bannister and rolls her eyes at her aloof brother’s feelings. Then, noticing the Maiami duelists, the claps her hands together. “Hi there!” Her personality appears to have done a 180-spin.

“Hi,” Yuzu says quickly; she glances to Yuuma for anything else.

“Rio, where’s everyone else?”

She shrugs. “Somewhere. Are you just touring them around the city?” With a head tilt, she gestures towards Yuuya and Yuzu.

“Yeah.” Yuuma laughs sheepishly.

“Really though, Yuuma, this isn’t such a grandiose place. Are you  _ sure  _ you didn’t have any other intentions by coming here?”

“None at all, Shark’s sister –”

“Rio.”

Yuuma laughs. Once again the feeling to tell someone about the duel monster’s voices appears. Shark already knows, Vector probably read his text messages, and Yuuma wouldn’t be surprised if the entire house knows of his past conversation. If they dueled right now, maybe Yuuma would hear them again. Maybe he’d be able to communicate with Ragnazero or Shark Drake, and all their monsters could talk together. Yuuma wonders if duel monsters can communicate without the Real Solid Vision - can these abilities also manifest in AR Duels?

However, Rio has other ideas. She slaps a handful of bills and tickets into his hand and forces his fingers to close around then. “Bowling tickets,” she explains. “I won them in a raffle, but I’m not going to use them. Destiny brought you here … or whatever else you’re willing to believe that doesn’t involve coming back here to make amends.” She smiles thoughtfully at Yuuya and Yuzu.

Ignoring her intent, Yuuma pockets the tickets. “Thanks, Sha –”

“Rio.”

The goodbye is short. Vector tries to invite himself along, but Shark tugs him back by his shirt collar. “They really don’t need anyone like you around,” he growls.

On the way out the door, Yuuya leans in to ask, “Did you know she had bowling tickets?”

Yuuma laughs. “‘Course I did - she had it on her Instagram feed two days ago. Honestly, Rio thinks that I’m simple-minded, and it’s true that I wanted to bring us closer together, but …” He pats the pocket of his jeans. “This is a nice reward too! I’ll have to thank her for these!”

The bowling alley happens to be across from the lake-side boardwalk and attached to a diner, so they end up in the centre of everywhere they need to go. Yuuya suggests they bowl first and split dinner as they play.

Unlike in dueling, where each of them has their own tactic and strategy, Yuuma soon learns that none of them have bowled before. They put the gutter blockers down after the first round when only Yuzu manages to hit more than one pin. All of them struggle to roll the ball in a way that will hit all the pins; every time Yuuma aims for the centre, he bounces off the gutter guards and hits a corner pin.

Soon, the game becomes less of a match and more of a tag-team strategy. Rather than fight against one another for first place, they switch places and ignore whose turn it is in favour of attempting to get a strike. Just like in the three-person tag duel, they pool their efforts together to get the strike.

It’s Yuuma who gets it.

Fists pumping in the air, Yuuma jumps and cheers loud enough that everyone else in the bowling alley hears him. Yuzu sets a hand down to protect the remaining burgers and fries. Astral once told him that he had a victory dance, as embarrassing as it sounds, and Yuuma tests it out, dancing round the room to the electro-beat muffled by the voices of the other players. After a moment, Yuuya’s hands slip into his and they dance together; when Yuzu joins, Yuuma looks up to see his friends laughing and smiling, appearing to enjoy the time of their lives.

For the rest of the match, Yuuma gets nothing but strikes and spares. He calls it the “Kattobingu Confidence” and titles himself “Yuuma, Grand Champion of Bowling” even when Yuzu reminds him that grand champions are chess players. Yuuya can’t seem to get the hang of hitting even  _ one  _ pin, and Yuzu still struggles to aim in the middle for a strike. Nonetheless, three matches pass by in peaceful bliss, and the burgers and fries disappear by the end of the games.

“Good game!” Yuuma says as soon as the screens power down. Their scores are already forgotten. “We did it!”

“We’ll have to settle the score with a duel,” Yuuya jokes. 

Yuuma opens his mouth to suggest visiting the nearest dueling arenas – there are  _ dozens  _ of those in Heartland – but at that moment when they step outside, the golden sunshine drips onto their skin. Across the street is the boardwalk, surprisingly quiet for this time of day. The large, grassy hills lead down to a smaller sidewalk that borders the United Sea; Yuuma can’t see the other lands from here, but he can imagine the bright colours of Maiami, the busy streets of City, and the large towers of Academia standing along the horizon.

“Can we go down there?” Yuzu asks, motioning towards the sidewalk.

“Sure – we can even walk along the water.”

This time, the trip is silent. Yuuma walks between Yuuya and Yuzu, who seem to drink in the warm sunshine and golden waters. At each rest stop, they pause to sit on the benches and glance out towards the sea. Yuzu and Yuuya try to find their hometown, but even with the bridges the other dimensional cities are too far away to be visible. 

“Maybe in another timeline, we wouldn’t have been able to meet you,” Yuuya says, voice low. 

“That’s rather dreary,” Yuzu says, “especially for you.”

“It’s true though. If time has reset in another way, and maybe the cities didn’t fuse together around the United Sea, then we would have never been able to visit Heartland again and meet Xyz duelists.”

Yuzu shakes her head though. “We were always meant to be together; it was everyone’s hope all along. Everyone just had a different way of making it possible.”

Yuuma can’t follow along with their conversation. “Would anything that have happened here affected the timeline?”

“What do you mean?” Yuuya asks.

“Like if something bad happened in Heartland, in  _ my  _ timeline, could it have affected yours?”

“No, because we’re in the post-Zarc timeline. Your dimension was just blended into ours once the drama was fixed. So yeah, if your world  _ died  _ or something then it would have affected how the dimensions came together, but the only kinds of overlap came after the rewrite.” A pause. “Why? Did something bad happen in your timeline?”

“No, it got fixed!” Yuuma answers. “But I’m just thinking about how isolated we all are. All my school teaches is the Dark Games. That’s it, and those haven’t been played for centuries. There’s nothing in my textbooks about the Academia Invasion, or about dimensional splits. Does no one else know about the rewrite?”

“I don’t think it’s talked about,” Yuzu murmurs. “Maiami citizens don’t even know about it. For all the United Dimensions know, we’ve always been together and just never bothered to visit each other.”

The sun begins to dip down into the sky. Shadows form on the water’s surface; Yuuma considers asking his friends to come back to his house, maybe get hot chocolate, until he remembers that none of his family can know about Yuuya and Yuzu. Akari and Gran will never get to meet his Maiami friends or here about his dueling adventures. The more Yuuma thinks about it, the gloomier his mood gets. He’s living a lie; he can’t tell them anything.

He definitely can’t tell them about the duel monsters. If he told Astral about the voices, he’d believe him. He’d probably be able to communicate with the monsters too. It would be like a neo-Entertainment duel: duel spirit and duelist and duel monsters and audience, all together for a stage performance. Only Astral isn’t here, Yuuma’s hearing things, and he’s not supposed to be dueling with Maiami students in the first place.

“There’s a field trip,” Yuzu says to break the silence, “that my father runs every year. While school is off for the summer holidays, my father likes to break the routines of duel school and we go to another duel school. This year we’re going to Academia - no one else but us knows what happened there. Would you come with us, Yuuma?”

“To Academia? Sure!”

“And you’ll be able to stay in duel school?”

“I can do anything if I put my mind to it.” Yuuma stands up to face the sun. He remembers when he and Astral met here, glowing in the evening sun, ready to say their parting words before he lost Astral for the second (but not the last) time. With a teary smile, Yuuma thinks about bringing Astral back. What would Yuuya say if he told him all about his connection with Astral? Would Yuuya help him? If Yuuma brought back Yuuya’s counterparts through Solid Vision technology, would Yuuya then help him?

The thought lingers in Yuuma’s head as he, Yuuya, and Yuzu continue down the rest of the boardwalk and then back up to the train station. The street lights cast a gentle glow on them until they make it into the train station, all too familiar for Yuuma now. They wait in the plastic chairs for the last train of the night; only one other person waits with them.

“I want everyone to remember,” Yuuma says. “I want everyone to remember about the rewrite.”

Yuzu laughs. “You’re still thinking about that?”

“I’m always thinking about that,” Yuuma admits. “How many people do you think we’ve seen today that aren’t from either of our towns? How many people do I know that could have been from City or Academia, who don’t know why they’ve never visited any of the other cities before a year ago, but who are continuing their lives in this limbo? I want to break up that mystery.”

“Some things are meant to be secrets though,” Yuuya says. “Can you imagine the fear people might have knowing that at one point Academia duelists invaded other cities? That’s why not everyone remembers - to maintain the peace.”

“But everyone in Heartland knows about the Barian invasion, and all the Barians you’ve met are forgiven. They aren’t held accountable for what Don Thousand put them through - even Vector, who was kinda on Don Thousand’s side for a bit before he realised he was being manipulated. Honestly, people forgive.”

“I mean, I’ll keep your secret a secret so long as you don’t tell my parents I’m dueling at You Show. But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if everyone knew.”

“Everyone is a  _ lot  _ of people,” Yuzu reminds him. “Everyone’s better off knowing that nothing that terrible ever happened to the dimensional cities.”

Yuuma wants to keep arguing the point, but the train arrives with a gust of wind that startles the children awake. Yuuya and Yuzu quickly grab their backpacks. Yuuma stands, ready to see them off, when Yuzu barrels into him first. Her arms wrap tight around his shoulders, and her touch seems to heal whatever disagreement they may have had. “Thank you for everything, Yuuma. We’ll see you over the summer break. Text, all right? We’ll visit each other every day if we have to.”

“Promise!” Yuuma says. He feels like this is far too teary of a goodbye for friends that he’ll be visiting every day over the break. The bridge doesn’t separate their cities; it ties them together, drawing him closer to new friends and new duels.

When Yuzu lets go, Yuuya is there to take her place. Yuuya’s hugs are tighter, firmer, and altogether squeeze the  _ life  _ from Yuuma who hugs equally hard back. When Yuuma hugs Yuzu, it feels like when he hugs Kotori: gentle companionship; when he hugs Yuuya, Yuuma feels like he’s known him all his life. 

“Someday,” Yuuya whispers, “we’ll tell everyone. Someday.”

They break apart, wave goodbye, and board the train. Within a minute, Yuuma sees the last of the train exit the station to head back to Maiami. The bright lights disorient him; he remembers just how late it is, and quickly Yuuma rushes back home on his heelies. The streets are calm before him, so Yuuma lets his mind wander as he skates towards his house.

In his mind, Yuuma thinks about Zexal. He imagines just what it might be like to form Zexal with another being. What would Zexal look like with Yuuya? When he explained the phenomenon to Chris and Kaito, they’d told him that becoming one with someone didn’t have to do with bodily properties like being a duel spirit. Zexal came from strong bonds; it was a soul-link connection.

But Yuuma can’t ask Kaito and Chris. If everyone’s already worrying about him hearing duel monster voices, no matter what Yuuma says about them being harmless, Yuuma can’t imagine anyone being OK with him forming Zexal with Yuuya. Kaito would probably tell him it wouldn’t work; Shark would tell him it’s reckless and pointless. The only person Yuuma can think to tell about these new ideas is Kotori, who, while unfamiliar with such topics, might at least listen to what he has to say without shoving their intellectual superiority down his throat.

When Yuuma gets home, sneaking up to his bedroom window and slipping inside just in case his sister is downstairs and writing away, the first thing he does is check his phone. Yuuya has already sent him two messages while on the train, describing amicably how the trip is going and what he plans to do tomorrow.

_ We should go out together, Yuuma. Just the two of us. Yuzu has to help her dad with some paperwork, so unless any of your friends want to come along we can go together. Maybe we could duel together – just the two of us, and we’ll see who’s the best! _

Yuuma hugs his phone closer to his chest. There’s more writing underneath.

_ The truth is, you’re really cool and I wish I could spend more time with you. You have an energy to you that, sappily said, makes me happy. It must be so hard for you to get to and from duel school - this is such a long trip from you! It’s remarkable! No matter what stands in your way, Yuuma, you have a heart that never gives up. _

_ I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone about what happened as a Lancer, and I never thought I would. But you’re forgiving - you want to know so much and you’ll listen no matter what I say. That’s why I like being your friend: you are always listening to me. _

_ A smile that never fades, a heart that never gives up … you’re too cool, Yuuma-kun! Yuzu showed you that there’s a slight break from duel school, but we’ll see each other soon, I hope! _

_ From, Yuuya. _

Yuuma doesn’t know what to say. He can’t form any words; his throat is dry, his eyes bright, and his heart swelling. His fingers twitch at the touch screen of his D-Gazer, but in the end all Yuuma can say back is, “You make dueling fun again!” before he goes to sleep. 

In his dreams, Yuuma imagines himself dueling. He pictures Smile World in action, creating an explosion of rainbow-coloured lights that burst across the dueling field. Yuuya is across from him, Pendulum Monsters set and glowing in the heavenly light. They duel together, dancing across the stage just like in the video Yuuya once showed him. Yuuma dreams of fired-up, heart-burning Entertainment duels that pave the way for a newer, greater,  _ happier  _ form of dueling.  To Yuuma, Action duels are much more than setting the stage: there’s a connection, stronger than steel, that forges bonds between duelists, duel monsters, and the audience.

_ Egaobingu. _


	11. Who's that Fusion Duelist? It's Sora!

It’s twenty minutes past eleven when Yuuma dashes into class, meeting the eyes of three of his students plus one newer, wider set of eyes; next to them, Shuuzou stands before their desks with several cards in his hands. Their combined stares make Yuuma blush scarlet.

He’s late. He hadn’t meant to be late, but then he and Yuuya had stayed up all night talking, and he’d overslept, and then he’d missed the first train by mere seconds. Thankfully, the early mornings run several trains back and forth between Heartland and Maiami, so Yuuma hadn’t had to wait long. It still made him late.

However, Shuuzou does not seem deterred. He stands and claps his hands together. “Good morning, Yuuma! You have a new student today.” Motioning to the newest boy, who seems to curl in on himself, Shuuzou says, “This is Reira, Reiji’s little brother. Yuuya and my daughter have told you about Akaba Reiji, right? This is his younger brother. He’s a remarkable duelist, and he’ll be coming here over the summer.”

Yuuma looks at Reira; the child melts under his stare. Reira’s hair is tied up and shoved under a ball cap that shadows his wide, purple eyes. The rest of him is swallowed by large, baggy clothes that only make him seem smaller than he already is. The other children seem to know who he is; Ayu shows him her newest cards while Futoshi tells Reira a funny story that happened over the weekend.

“Reira,” Yuuma says. “How come he’s here and not at the other school … LDS, right?”

Shuuzou tas his foot on the floor.  _ Click, click.  _ “Reira, did you say why?”

“I wanted to be with my friends,” he says. His voice barely registers above a whisper; if there were any breeze or noise, his quiet tone would be unhearable. 

“Ah,” Shuuzou answers. “Glad to have you then. Yuuma, ready to teach?”

Shuuzou steps aside to let Yuuma at the front of the class. Now that Yuuma has been teaching for several months, he feels comfortable to jump into a lesson. His students have mastered basic ATK and DEF knowledge and can correctly Summon and Flip Summon. Next, Yuuma has been teaching them about Spell and Trap cards. Regardless of what knowledge the junior youths may have had about spell and trap cards, none of his three seem to know how to effectively use them. Whenever the effect becomes usable, they use it; at times, this puts their own monsters at a disadvantage and does more harm than good.

Reira, however, already has a firm grasp on basic dueling mechanics. Whatever classes he had been enrolled in went far beyond what the others already know. However, despite Reira knowing as much as he does, Yuuma notes that he never raises his hand. When Yuuma calls on him, he answers robotically. When Yuuma brings him up front to demonstrate a spell or trap card activation, Reira responds. Few of his movements seem enthusiastic.

On the field, Reira’s dueling shines. He Summons, Special Summons, Tributes, and Xyz Summons without any hesitation, making combos that even get Yuuma’s head spinning. Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya clap enthusiastically whenever their new classmate makes a spectacular play. With four of them enrolled, Yuuma splits them into pairs. It becomes clear that Reira’s dueling is more advanced than any of theirs.

But … there’s no enthusiasm. Reira seems to struggle to smile or laugh, and no matter what his classmates say, their words never seem to reach him. Yuuma tries too: he cheers for Reira’s successes, yet the boy only seems to shrug off the compassion. 

At the end of class, Reira bows, thanks Yuuma for the class in a whisper, and leaves. He says goodbye to no one else, and walks out of the class without turning around once.

“He’s shy,” Ayu determines. She turns back to Futoshi and Tatsuya, and to Yuuma who stands at the front of the class, and says, “I remember dueling him once, a long time ago I think. He was just like that: so quiet and unconfident.”

Yuuma pauses. “Long ago?”

Ayu nods. “But I can’t remember how long ago. Maybe a year or two, maybe more.” Yuuma wonders if the timeline reset has affected her memory, and if so would that mean Ayu once dueled Reira during the height of the wars? Where was Reira during the war? Yuuma hasn’t given up on thinking about bringing back Yuuya and Yuzu’s counterparts and rewriting time once again to make everyone remember what happened last year. 

“I remember Reira dueling too,” Futoshi says. “He’s always been so quiet, and he never wants to do anything fun.” Looking longingly at the door, he adds, “It gives me shivers to think that Reira’s never had any fun.”

“He must have fun dueling,” Yuuma insists. “Everyone smiles. I’ll ask his brother, OK, or Yuuya if he knows. They’ll help me get Reira to smile.”

When class ends, Yuuma settles down in the lobby and kicks up his feet in one of the chairs. In summer school, there is a longer break between classes since the days are longer without school and lessons can start earlier. Yuuya had told him he’d arrive as early as he could once he helped his mom with some chores at home. Meanwhile, Yuuma can hear footsteps above him from Yuzu and Shuuzou. 

Yuuma has never been to Yuzu’s house before. The staircase in the corner leads up to the living area, which Yuuma has seen Yuzu come down from many times; however, Yuuma has never seen anyone other than the father and daughter go up there. Yuuma wonders if perhaps students  _ aren’t  _ allowed up there, but then again he isn’t a student right now but a friend. Looking up the stairs piques his interest enough to open the gate and climb to the second floor.

The change in decor is miraculous. Yuzu’s home is an open-plan house with a living room and kitchen occupying one massive area, marked only by the table as a wide divider. Despite there being only two of them in the house, the dinner table seats at least ten people; across the room is the kotatsu, nestled next to the TV and before a wide window that looks out over Maiami City. Were Yuuma to keep walking straight, he’d end up in the only hallway of the house which appears to lead to the bathroom and bedrooms.

Shuuzou is nowhere to be seen, but Yuzu, dressed in a floral summer dress with her hair in one ponytail, stands in the kitchen. She turns when she sees him.

“Yuuma!” she greets, startled. “I thought you were downstairs - knock next time, OK?”

“Sure,” Yuuma answers. Yuuma peers into what Yuzu is baking - muffins, it appears to be - and then looks back at her. “I’ve never been to your house before.”

“Well, this is the living area. Students don’t often come up here.” She crosses her arms; Yuuma laughs.

“I’ve been to Yuuya’s house before, so I had to check out yours too. And besides, it’s an hour until class. What am I supposed to do there in the lobby?”

Yuzu opens her mouth to answer that promptly, possibly in a Shark- or Kaito-esque way that involves a copious amount of snarky humour, but then she closes her mouth and shrugs. “Fine - come help me then. I’m making treats for the first day of summer duel school.”

Yuzu, Yuuma soon learns, has a sweet tooth, specifically for cakes and pastries and fluffy dishes. There are little bowls of candy around her house that she says she brings down whenever Sora’s hanging out, but she herself prefers baked goods. Along the table sits several plates of cookies and tarts, most either chocolate- or fruit-topped. 

“I was going to have these ready earlier for when the junior youths were done with classes, but I didn’t have all the ingredients I needed this morning,” she explains. “Oh well, they won’t care if their treats come tomorrow.” When Yuuma only stands in the kitchen salivating at the treats, she shoves a bowl and whisk into his hands. “Mix that,” she instructs. “It’s batter for carrot cake.”

When Yuuma bakes with Akari, he always burns her food. Yuuma tried to bake with Kaito and Kotori once, and despite Yuuma’s previous assumption that Kaito - as the mature, confident adult – was great at anything, one burnt egg dish later proved that even adults can be incompetent cooks. Kotori, however, is as great of a cook as Yuzu. When Yuzu bakes, she seems to make up the recipes out of thin air, free-pouring ingredients that shouldn’t make such delicious food.

“I’m actually following a recipe,” she tells him when Yuuma says she’s making up the recipes as she goes along. She holds out a tablet that had been resting on a shelf, out of Yuuma’s line of sight but not hers. “It’s easy to bake once you get the rhythm down. Just like dueling, you’ve gotta …” She chuckles. “Go with the flow. Just trust me.”

Yuuma does, and he still crisps the bottom of the carrot cake. Yuzu shrugs it off, saying that Sora will still eat it.

“Will Sora be in duel class today?” Yuuma asks. “I’ve seen a video of him before, but I don’t think he’s ever come before …”

“He hasn’t come in a while,” Yuzu says, seeming to brush off the topic. “He usually travels back and forth between Academia and here, which makes it hard for him to regularly come to class.”

Yuuma remembers Vector saying that Sora used to be an Academia soldier. Of course, Yuuma can’t imagine anyone using such cruel, underhand techniques to incite fear and panic into citizens, and especially not the same bright-eyed, childish Sora. “Does Sora live in Academia then? That must be such a far travel for him.”

Again, Yuzu’s response seems quite vague: “I think so. We don’t see him that much, and though he used to spend a lot of time at Yuuya’s house, now I think he lives somewhere in Academia. He should be here though … I texted him to say I’m making treats.” Her voice dips off at the end, seeming distant and sad.

Before the mood can turn sour, Yuuma says, “I can’t wait to meet Shiunin-kun then! He’s a Fusion duelist, right?” With his hands caked in flour and batter, Yuuma turns on his D-gazer and flips through several video files to find one of the first videos Yuuya ever sent him. Yuzu and Sora spin around a stage, dressed in costume and singing as their monsters appeared in Real Solid Vision above their heads. “Shiunin-kun seems like such a cool guy!”

“Sora would love to hear you say that,” Yuzu answers. “We were such good friends in the beginning, back before the dimensional wars. I think … I think Sora saw us as an escape from his fate. He always means so well, and he didn’t want to hurt us, but by protecting us he was hurting himself at the same time.” Setting down her spatula, Yuzu turns to him. “He was never trying to hurt any of us.”

Without knowing just what Academia was like, Yuuma can’t understand what Yuzu means. However, her words remind him of the Barians and their manipulated allegiance to Don Thousand. The Barians were protecting themselves and their universe - and later, they were protecting Yuuma too. 

“Shiunin-kun sounds like a cool guy,” Yuuma says again. “I bet if he comes he’ll love all this.”

Until Yuuya comes, Yuuma stays in the kitchen with Yuzu. The table fills up with more and more dishes, each piled with delicious treats. There are only a dozen or so students in Yuuma’s class, and only four students in the junior youth. Surely the amount of desserts Yuzu has baked is overkill? However, she explains to him that it will be just enough for everyone as she happily begins taking trays of food down to the classroom.

On the second trip down, Yuuya bursts through the doorway. He’s earlier than everyone else but looks like he ran to class; his chest heaves with each breath that he takes. He spots the desserts as they pass by, eyes growing as large as the plates on which they lie. “You were  _ baking  _ today? That’s why you called me over?”

“You can help carry some down,” Yuzu says with a wink. “Yuuma baked them with me this morning.”

Yuuma blushes at Yuzu’s wink, which goes unnoticed by Yuuya who stares at Yuuma with newfound adoration. “You can bake?”

“Sure,” Yuuma says. He can ignore whatever mishaps he had with Kaito. “Uh, if you want to try my baking you should try the lemon squares or the carrot cake, or … whatever fancy-name this is called!”

Yuuya plucks a treat off the plate in Yuuma’s hands - chocolate-dipped strawberries, not as sweet as some of the other confections he and Yuzu have baked, but still delicious – and pops it in his mouth. “It tastes good, Yuuma! I thought you told me you sucked at baking.”

Well, that must’ve come up in a conversation that Yuuma doesn’t ever remember having, but he laughs it off anyways. “I’ve improved then!” Yuuma eats one off the plate too, and Yuuya’s right, they do taste delicious! Yuuma takes a second and a third in good humour before something clicks in his mind. “Hey, Yuuya?”

Strawberries still in his mouth, Yuuya says, “Yeah?”

“There’s a student in my class named Reira-kun. He’s Akaba-kun’s brother, right?”

“Reira’s at You Show?”

“He, uh, showed up today. I thought he was supposed to be at LDS, and even Coach thought so too, but yeah, he came today. He’s amazing though - all of his chains and strategies work wonderfully and he’s definitely above whatever I’m supposed to be teaching. I was thinking of sticking him in our class, but do you think he’d fit in, and ... “ Yuuma sighs. “He doesn’t seem happy at duel school.”

“How so?” Yuuya asks. His lighthearted tone seems off-putting to Yuuma: if a student is feeling down, shouldn’t Yuuya be a bit more worried about his well-being? Yuuya’s casualness makes it seem like it’s  _ natural  _ for Reira to be so down, and Yuuma can’t imagine anyone ever turning a blind eye to that, especially someone who calls themselves an Entertainment duelist. 

“Well, he just never smiles. Ever. And all of his moves are so mechanical, like he’s scripted his moves and is just following orders.”

“Reira does struggle with confidence,” Yuuya says, “but he still has fun when dueling. Everyone has their own smile –”

“That’s not a smile,” Yuuma says. “He’s not happy, and you know him better than me, so how do I make him happy –”

“You can’t  _ make  _ someone happy,” Yuuya says. He looks to the side, appearing to maybe dart off to consider his words, but then he looks back and Yuuma and steels his gaze. “You can make yourself happy, and maybe that will make someone else happy too. Bringing smiles to a duel … that is why I duel, but I don’t demand happiness. Reira’s smile is there, trust me. But you can’t force him to duel how you want to do. Entertainment dueling isn’t as methodical as you think.”

Yuuya’s words don’t make sense though. To Yuuma, Action Duels are meant to spark smiles. If Reira isn’t smiling, then something is going wrong. Yuuma can’t imagine  _ what,  _ but to let Reira suffer? 

“Trust me, Reira was smiling today.”

Yuuma opens his mouth to say more, but then Yuzu drags Yuuya into the classroom to help set out the plates. Yuuma bites his tongue down to keep from calling out. What Yuuya says sounds melancholic. No, Yuuma can’t  _ make  _ someone happy, but he can change them. He’s changed Vector and Shark and Kaito. They’ve all changed. If Yuuya preaches that Entertainment dueling brings smiles, then Yuuma expects that everyone will always be happy.

The thought sticks in Yuuma’s mind like a tumor, festering and hurting. Yuuma doesn’t want to give up on the thought that he can bring hope and smiles through Action Duels. To hear Yuuya say that too …

Yuuma takes a step forward, ready to  _ really  _ speak his mind in a way that often makes Shark and Kaito cringe, when something blue out of the corner of his eyes stops him. Of Yuuma’s classmates, none of them have blue hair, and he can’t imagine someone like Haruto sneaking off to visit him. No, this kid is maybe a bit taller than Haruto with big, green eyes and a lollipop jammed into his mouth. He pops it out when he sees Yuuma, and his eyes seem to travel up to where Yuuma’s hair sticks out in what Vector has teasingly nicknamed ‘feelers’.

“Shiunin-kun?” Yuuma says.

Sora’s eyes narrow. “How do you know my name?”

“You’re Yuuya’s friend –” Yuuma begins to say, but at Sora’s words Yuuya and Yuzu are summoned, both dusted in flour and powdered sugar from the desserts. Yuuya doesn’t hesitate to pull Sora into a bone-crushing hug; Sora leans into him, but Yuuma notes that he seems uncomfortable with the attraction, like he’s faking his comfortableness for the sake of others. When Yuzu embraces him, he seems to let the cover slip a bit more, resting his head against her shoulder.

“You came,” she says.

“I made it,” he answers. Then, righting himself, the cover returns: he grins brightly at both of them and from within his pocket pulls out a handful of wrapped candies. “For you, Coach and student!”

They laugh on an inside joke that Yuuma doesn’t get. When Sora catches him staring, he holds out his hands to Yuuma. “You, er, must be one of Coach’s friends too, so that means you can be my friend too! Want a candy?” Sora leans his head to one side, fake smile growing wider. “You can even pick your favourite because I have so many flavours.”

So Yuuma goes along with the play, snatching up a red candy and popping it in his mouth. “Thanks, Shiunin.”

“Call me Sora,” he says, already back to Yuuya’s side and eagerly asking, “How come you’ve got flour on you? Were you even baking, because you can’t cook? Only your mom can cook, and she’s one of the best! You probably got your cooking skills from your father.”

Quickly, Yuuma realises several things about Sora. One is that there must always be chatter: Sora asks about the sweets and treats on the table, about You Show, about Yuuma, about other friends; there is never silence. Sora also doesn’t like anything upsetting: when Yuzu mentions she’s worried not everyone will be able to make it for summer duel school, Sora is quick to assure her that of course everyone will come because she’s the best and such a great duelist.

In a way, Yuuma sees himself in Sora. He sees the enthusiasm and the positivity, but Yuuma sees hurt in Sora’s eyes. When Yuuya and Yuzu begin talking about what they’ve been studying in class, Sora’s eyebrows furrow and he chews on his lip. Whenever he smiles it never quite reaches up to his weepy eyes.

However, Sora doesn’t seem to give up either. As more students file into the class, he comments on how popular You Show has become. “Your dad’s duel school really is growing!” he tells Yuzu. “It must be all that Pendulum dueling that brought in the crowds.”

“You’re right on the ball,” Yuzu says. “In fact, Pendulum dueling has even enticed other duelists. Yuuma here’s from Heartland.”

Sora’s eyes drop. He fixes his expression in the blink of an eye, but it’s an expression Yuuma doesn’t miss. He doesn’t have time to dwell on it though because Sora is now interested in  _ him,  _ stretching across a desk to stand nose-to-nose with Yuuma. Every freckle across his nose is countable – which is relevant only to Yuuma who's also counted Vector’s freckles – from this distance; Yuuma tries to remain focused.

“You’re not from around here?” Sora says. “How do you even  _ get  _ here every day?”

“The train,” Yuuma says. “It’s not hard at all. Yuuya’s even come with me before –”

“And it was not easy,” Yuuya jokes. “It’s quite the trip.”

“ _ Still,”  _ Yuuma says. “It could be worse. And besides, coming here means I get to meet all of you, and that’s the best reason for the travel. I wish I could have all my friends come too, or if Entertainment duel schools could come to Heartland.”

Every time Yuuma says Heartland, Sora flinches.

“Sora,” Yuuma says, “you’re a duelist, right?”

“Yep.”

“We should duel - today! You, me, on the Duel Field together. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“Oh sure, but Coach, are we allowed to have matches?”

Yuuya shrugs and looks to Yuzu, who nods but quickly adds, “After class though. This is school, regardless of how much more fun it might be than regular classes.”

They laugh together, a melody that seems to light up the room. 

“This is my favourite class to be in,” Yuuma says. “I skip my other classes, but I can’t imagine ever missing a day of duel school? I’d come here even if I was sick or injured, and Kotori would probably have to drag me back home and help me lie to my family.” Still laughing, Yuuma says, “Sora, do you go to school with Yuuya and Yuzu?”

Sora seems caught-off guard by the questions despite how easy Yuuma thinks it is to answer. He shakes his head, frowns, and then nods. “I take home a lot of my schoolwork because sometimes I live far away –”

“In Academia, right?”

Sora nods. “You’ve been, then?”

“Yuuya and I went one day.” Yuuma claps his hands together. “You live in such a cool city, and I wish I’d known about all these different places a long time ago, but – well.” Yuuma laughs. “It can’t be helped, right?”

“Right!” Sora agrees. Only his lips smile.

When class starts, Sora sits next to Yuzu. He doodles on his paper and pops candies in his mouth, and Yuuma spends most of the class watching Sora instead of paying attention to the teacher. What Sora is doing isn’t fascinating by any means, but Sora himself is someone that Yuuma wants to know more about. Sora reminds him of Vector: kind, pure-hearted, good-humoured, but hurt. Yuuma can see the hurt in him when Yuuya and Yuzu talk about duel school, or whenever Yuuma mentions Heartland. He draws pictures of grotesque, deformed animals in his books, and scribbles over each detailed picture when they’re done. 

Coach Shuuzou never calls on him to answer any questions, and Yuuma suspects they’ve had several conversations before. When they pair up for duels, Sora sticks close to Yuuya and Yuzu so as to not be split apart. Yuuma, however, wants to be Sora’s friend too, and most importantly Yuuma wants to duel Sora.

As soon as they step foot in the room, Yuuma turns to Sora and exclaims, “You, me, duel - now!”

“Now?” Sora says. “Aren’t we supposed to be practicing?”

“We can practice!” Yuuma says.

From the doorway, Yuzu asks, “And what are you supposed to be practicing, Yuuma?”

Yuuma shrugs. “Dueling, Summoning, combo-ing –”

“Advance Summoning with two monsters.”

“ _ \-- And  _ that,” Yuuma finishes. “And Sora and I can do that  _ while  _ we duel. C’mon, it will be fun!”

Sora skips back and forth on his feet. “I’ll do whatever Coach Y says.”

Yuuya, unlike Yuzu, seems pleased with the idea. “Sure! Yuzu and I can duel together, and you and Sora can duel. We’ll be able to get more duels done that way, and then we can mix up who duels who after this.”

With an agreement made, the four duelists take their places. Yuuma squares his shoulders and takes a deep breath. His duel disk becomes an extension of his body as he slips the lightweight metal over his arm. Across the field, Sora takes his position. The boy’s cheery, fake persona becomes more pronounced as he puts another lollipop in his mouth and hops from one foot to the next.

“Ever heard of me before, Sora?” Yuuma asks. 

“I dunno, should I?” Sora answers in a way that makes Yuuma’s cheeks heat up.

“Yes, I’m Tsukumo Yuuma, saviour of Worlds and Dimensions.”

Sora’s blue eyes narrow, but quickly return to their slanted, droopy look. “Oh, that’s why I haven’t heard of you before: you’re self-proclaimed. But” – he holds up one fingers – “Coach Y has told me about you before, and I’m going to go all-out for him.”

The Real Solid Vision machine whirs to life, shooting coloured beams around the room that spread to paint a realistic landscape of a quaint, rural city. It reminds Yuuma of when he was in a dream with Haruto: the blue sky and rolling hills lift  Yuuma’s spirits. Sora looks around the field longingly, expression growing somber with each passing moment. Before Sora can become too upset, Yuuma starts the duel.

“Ready, Sora?”

Yuuma starts the chant. Sora hadn’t appeared to know that Yuuma had memorised the chant, for when they lock hands and spin together, Sora is pulled by Yuuma’s enthusiasm. Unlike Yuuya, Sora’s happiness is a ruse: there are tears behind bright eyes and sadness tucked in the corners of his upturned lips, but Yuuma lets him fake if only it helps him heal. 

Shark used to do this too.

When the duel starts, Sora goes first. His monsters are all Fluffals: soft, demure creatures with childish features. The teddy bears and stuffed cats on his field aren’t menacing in the slightest. In fact, several of the monsters don’t appear to put up much of a fight.

“Fluffals don’t have much bite to them,” Yuuma says. He draws. “Where’s your ace monster?”

“Soon soon!” Sora says. “But I’ll give you a chance to set up your defenses.”

Yuuma laughs. If anyone told him he needed defense, Yuuma would kindly remind them that the only way he’s willing to win is from all-out attacks. If Yuuma built up his defenses, he would’ve lost far more duels than he’d won. Instead, Yuuma Summons, Special Summons, Xyz Summons Hope - his monsters graces the field in a halo of heavenly light that bathes everyone in warmth.

“Do you have what it takes to defeat me?” Yuuma taunts. 

Sora draws and smiles. “Sure.”

Fusion Summoning, Yuuma realises, is highly conditional and harder to complete than Xyz or Synchro Summoning. When Yuzu explained Fusion dueling to him, she said that getting both the materials and the Fusion Summon card were difficult, so many tactics are employed to get all the monsters necessary. However, Yuzu also warned him that Fusion monsters are a force to be reckoned with. Sora’s cutesy Fluffal monsters merge together with Edge Imp monstrosities to Summon Frightfurs, Fusion monsters whose demurity is destroyed by grotesque features.

“Cute, huh?” Sora says. “There are teeth even on the sweetest of monsters.”

Yuuma claps loudly. “They’re so cool, Sora!”

Sora double-takes. “Cool?”he repeats.

“Cool,” Yuuma says. “Look at them! That card - that Frightfur Bear! Look at the scissors on it! And how the fur is torn in places and patched up in others. It’s creepy, yeah, but as you said everything has teeth so it can eat! Ah, Sora, your deck is so cool!”

Yuuma sees Sora’s guise break.

Yuuma attacks, destroys Frightfur Bear, and knocks Sora’s life points down. The attack sends Sora to his knees, but he keeps smiling at Yuuma, haunted eyes watery with unshed tears.

“Come on, let’s keep dueling! Xyz vs. Fusion - we’re destined to duel each other!”

Sora swallows and stands. “You’re right, I guess –”

“I  _ know  _ I’m right!” Yuuma says. “I’m an Entertainment duelist, so I’ll set the stage with my performance!”

On Sora’s next turn, his monster effects begin to activate. His deck is built on combos and Summoning from the grave, methods that aren’t unfamiliar to Yuuma who’s dueled Thomas before, but that work against his mind that only focuses on what’s before him. Furthermore, Sora’s deck never messes with his strategies: Sora doesn’t have effects that reduce Yuuma’s monsters’ attack or send his cards away. Yuuma wonders if this is because Sora duels so honourably.

Sora Fusion Summons again. This time, Frightfur Sabre-Tooth appears, possible only because Yuuma destroyed Frightfur Bear. This monster has eyes that stare into Yuuma’s soul and appear through a mouth filled with sharp, pointed teeth. Where a tail would be there is a knife, shoved through the entire monster and poking through the front. Again, Yuuma can’t help but think of Thomas’ deck.

At the same time though, Yuuma’s mind also can’t be anywhere else but this duel because Sora, no matter how fake he may be, interests Yuuma. When Yuuya duels, Yuuma feels a sense of hope and compassion; when Sora duels, Yuuma feels the sadness and pain of his opponent. Whatever Sora has experienced sticks with him like painful, invisible scars impairing his every movement. 

Their next few turns become back-and-forth brawls that leave neither Yuuma nor Sora feeling satisfied as victors. Their attacks are too close and skills too similar; anytime Yuuma thinks he has the upper hand, Sora ends up with a counter-attack that sends both of them back to square one. Yuuya and Yuzu finish their match long before Yuuma and Sora are anywhere near complete, to which Yuuma states is because he and Sora are having a legendary duel that can’t be resolved in under ten turns.

When it does come to an end, it’s Yuuma who winds, fist-pumping the air as his and Sora’s monsters disappear in a burst of small, silver stars. Sora stands opposite him, eyes focused on where his monster once stood. He doesn’t look up until Yuuma crushes him in a hug and exclaims, “What an awesome duel, Sora!” to which he remains startled and mute.

Yuuya and Yuzu congratulate him too, and Sora’s mood seems to brighten with more and more praise. In return, he tells Yuuya and Yuzu he’d been watching their duel too; Yuuma doesn’t remember anything because he’d been focused on his own dueling, but he compliments Yuuya and Yuzu anyways and adds, “You’re awesome even if I forgot to watch you duel.”

When they mix it up, Sora clings to Yuuya for a duel together. Yuuma want to duel with Yuuya too, but in his duel with Yuzu he finds that he’s more closely matched than he originally thought, and this time her Fusion deck doesn’t wipe the floor with him. She even comments that he’s become better, offhandedly saying, “You’re improving from these classes. I can tell.”

“Sora taught you how to Fusion Summon, right?”

“Yeah, he’s a great teacher. Yuuya taught him how to Pendulum Summon, and he’s a born Entertainer too. When I wanted to get better, Sora took me under his wing.” With a sigh, Yuzu says, “He gives so much of himself to others that some days I don’t think there’s anything left for him.”

“Because of Academia?” Yuuma asks.

Yuzu nods. “If you’re a soldier, you give up your freedom to serve. His duty was to fulfill the Professor’s wishes and merge the dimensions together. I think deep down he still hurts himself over what he’s done, but he’s trying –”

“He’s faking.”

“Yeah.” 

“You can tell he’s taught you because you both do this.” Yuuma clasps his hands together and brings them down before him in an exaggerated pose complete with a war cry of “FUSION SUMMON!” that echoes around the room and out into the corridor. Every pair of eyes in the room turn to face him. Yuuya seems  _ impressed  _ by the way his eyes glow, whereas Yuzu bursts out laughing and Sora just stands there stunned with his lollipop hanging out of his mouth.

“We all do that,” Yuzu says. “It’s like a Fusion chant, something like a trend that’s spread to every Fusion duelist across all four dimensions.” She pauses. “Wait, do you not have anything like that in Heartland? No poses or anything?”

The only pose Yuuma can ever remember his friends doing is the one time Vector made a ‘v’ with his fingers and put it under his lips, and Shark nearly strangled him for doing it in public. As for Summoning methods, Yuuma can’t think of anything. 

“You should make one then,” Yuzu adds. “If you’re as famous as you claim to be” –  _ wink –  _ “then you should have no trouble starting a trend in Heartland.”

“I set my own trends,” Yuuma says. Then, smiling, he says, “Maybe I don’t need a pose. Maybe I need something else …”

He and Yuuya duel next. They chant and dance, clasping hands and fusing hearts to the beat of the technology whirring to life around them. The Field this time glitters like a stage; it makes Yuuya’s eyes sparkle when he reaches for a swinging trapeze and hangs off it. Yuuma follows suit, climbing up to stand on a second trapeze. He loses his balance only once, arms spinning to keep his balance; meanwhile, Yuuya laughs and says, “Be careful – you can hurt yourself in Action Duels.”

Once they are both standing, the duel begins. When the trapezes swing, Yuuma grabs blindly at whatever he can find and laughs outright. Yuuya goes first and sets his Pendulums; the Field glows cerulean from the magic. Yuuma pauses, smiles, and then says, “Want to see me Fusion summon?”

Yuuma nods. He’s never seen Yuuya do anything but a Pendulum Summon, though he remembers on one of his first classes when Yuuya told him he had mastered all the Summoning methods. 

Clearing his throat, Yuuya brings his hands up above his head as he chants, “Dichromatic eyes that illuminate the dark night! Become time's compass and point to a new path. Fusion Summon! Appear, Starve Venom Fusion Dragon!”

Yuuya's hands come down together, seeming to erupt a crater beneath his feet. When Starve Venom takes the field, Yuuma gasps. Its wings are what Yuuma notices first – long, tendril-like, with small bulbs hanging from each sinewy wing. The dragon's eyes, like Odd-Eyes', are dichromatic and gaze around the room. Yuuma struggles to remember what Yuuya told him about his friendship counterpart, and he wonders if perhaps Yuuya kept this card in memory of his other self.

The dragon doesn't frighten Yuuma though. Standing tall and proud on the wobbly surface of the trapeze, Yuuma draws. He starts with an opening move: Summon, Special Summon, and then release the monsters for an Xyz Summon. However, rather than simply Summon, Yuuma makes a show of it. He stacks the cards together, one on top of the other, and holds them aloft.

“I Summon,” he calls out, “the light at the end of the tunnel and the pinnacle of perfect happiness! Blast an arc of smiles through this hopeful world! Bring it to 'em, Hope!” Yuuma slams the three cards down on his duel disk, which emits a beam of light from the impact. From the vortex above his head bursts Hope, shining knight in armor that slices through any darkness.

Yuuya claps for him, nearly jumping up and down on his trapeze. “That's so cool, Yuuma! You've got to teach us that move!”

Yuuma blushes, taking his hands off the cards. His heart swells with pride from the new move that Vector will surely try to copy, Kaito will use in every dramatic duel ever, and Shark will complain about embarrassing himself with it yet will still use it. “You’ve gotta duel with your entire  _ soul,  _ Yuuya!”

Their trapezes cross paths and Yuuma grabs both of their chains. They spin, losing their balance and coming together, and maybe this is Fusion, maybe this is the coming together, but next to Yuuya Yuuma can  _ hear  _ the monsters talking to him and his friends cheering him on, and they all sound so  _ happy _ to hear him! Yuuma’s feet slip on his trapeze and he lands on Yuuya’s; they crash together, still spinning –

“Yuuma, hold on!”

Yuuya grabs onto his shirt collar as Yuuma  _ slips,  _ tumbles down and feels the air on his feet that surely won’t hold him up. Above him, Yuuya scrambles to keep his hold on the trapeze. They swing to the mounting tone of panic from Yuzu and Sora, who can’t turn off the system without making Yuuma and Yuuya fall.

“Yuuya, the dragon!” Yuzu shouts. “Get Starve Venom!”

Yuuma doesn’t understand, but at once something with  _ teeth  _ grabs him and flies with him clasped between its jaw. Yuuma can’t imagine ever being held by a duel monster, but here he is in a dragon’s warm, wet mouth hanging above a spectacular field. Yuuma laughs even when he is set down and Yuzu and Sora fret over him and Yuuya.

“You OK? Are you sure? How can I tell if you’re OK when you’re laughing? Yuuma, will you listen  _ please.” _ She takes his face in his hands, which are so different from the maws Yuuma was just inside of that he leans to her touch and grins himself silly. “Don’t do stupid things like that. This isn’t just ‘fun and games’: Action Duels have consequences.”

“That was the best duel though –”

“Not at the risk of injury,” Sora says. For the first time, Yuuma sees Sora’s serious side: he looks grave and worried, hands wrung and eyebrows mushed together. “Entertainment dueling has real-life dangers and consequences. You can’t be taking this so casually. If you hurt yourself from Solid Vision, you’ll be injured even after the duel ends.”

From his classmates’ serious expressions, Yuuma stops laughing. He tries to shrug off their concern, but Yuuya doesn’t let him.

“Yuuma, Action duels have consequences. Be careful.”


	12. Enter Mizuki Kotori! The Voice of Reason and Rationality!

“Really, Yuuma? A tournament?”

Yuuma slams both hands down on the desk and nods. He and Kotori sit in the school’s library, a place that Kotori explains is not for shouting or ranting on anything else that is above a whisper; Yuuma’s hand-slamming has since reverberated through the entire wing of the school and caused several heads to turn. Kotori ducks her head sheepishly, and then glares at Yuuma.

“Yuuma, sit.”

“I’ve been sitting all _day,_ Kotori. Can’t we do this anywhere else?”

“I have to study too, so we can’t just go to your house. Now, are you going to participate in this tournament?”

Yuuma nod his head.

“Then you need to sign up - you barely got away without signing up during the WDC, but who knows how strict registration will be for a Maiami tournament. The last thing you want is to miss registration –”

“I’ll make it in,” Yuuma says, brushing off her concern.

Kotori opens the pamphlet and points to a block of text in the leftmost column under registration details. “It says here that ranking matters, so if you register they’ll be looking at your official dueling record.” Looking up, Kotori narrows her eyes. “What is your dueling record, Yuuma?”

Bristling, Yuuma answers, “I won first place in the WDC. It’s probably something really high. Honestly, Kotori, if I lived in Maiami I would’ve been a Lancer fighting against rogue duelists.”

Yuuma’s comment makes Kotori frown. “Rio-san told me about the Lancers. She said they were like dimensional warriors who brought peace to all the cities through dueling, and that because they rewrote time no one else but them remembers.”

“Close,” Yuuma says. “Ray rewrote time, and the Lancers fought to stop Ray and Zarc’s revival by fighting against duelists. At least, I think that’s the story Yuuya told me … everyone’s told me something different.”

“Because they forgot?”

Yuuma shakes his head. “They just all have something different to say, and everyone wants to keep it a secret. Yuuya says he doesn’t want anyone to remember those times, that it’s better to forget than to remember. That’s not true, is it?”

Stretching her arms high over her head, Kotori pauses to think. “Well, it’s surely not the best of ideas to keep something so terrible hidden from everyone, but perhaps that’s _why_ Maiami wanted the other dimensions to forget. Maybe it was a wish, just like what you wished for when you defeated Don Thousand. Ray’s wish to rewrite time could be because of how terrible the events were in the past.”

“That still doesn’t mean everyone should forget,” Yuuma states. “Bad stuff happened in Heartland and we all remember –”

“We don’t though,” Kotori says. “Some people still chock up the bad weather and strange happenings to storms. Remember, not everyone was ‘awake’ for that moment. Maybe that’s what happened with Ray –”

“But Kotori, everyone was awake - some just don’t remember it. In Maiami, everyone _forgot._ Their memories disappeared.”

“I still don’t get why this is bothering you.” Kotori closes up her textbook and sticks it in her bag. Yuuma still doesn’t understand why Kotori made him come to the library if she was only going to study for an hour; even if they aren’t in school, Kotori says she wants to get ahead on assignments and study up on some new subjects; Yuuma tells her that he’ll do that when he gets _back_ to school, and that all he wants to do now is duel and hang out with his friends.

“Because what if that spell rewrote my memories too? What if I forgot about you and Astral and Shark and the Barians? What if everything that happened suddenly didn’t happen, and I’d have to relive through my first year of junior high all over again.”

“But our memories weren’t rewritten –”

Yuuma slams his hands on the desk, and this time the sound _does_ shock him and he pulls them back sheepishly. “They could have been, and who knows what I forgot because I wouldn’t remember anyways.”

Kotori leans forward in her chair. “This is really bothering you, huh?”

Yuuma nods.

“Well you can get over that since it never happened, and time isn’t going to be rewritten by anyone. Your friend Sakaki-kun doesn't sound like he plans on rewriting time anymore, and nothing weird has happened.” Yuuma chews his lip and looks away; Kotori notices and her eyes narrow. “Yuuma …?”

“It’s not a big deal!” Yuuma says quickly, raising his head in defense.

Kotori only leans closer over the table until she is nose-to-nose with Yuuma, peering into his wide, red eyes that glimmer like rubies. “What are you keeping a secret?”

“Nothing!” Yuuma stutters. “Nothing that you should be worried about, not at all.”

“You’re lying.”

“Am not!” He crosses his arms, indignant.

“You are, and if you’re not going to tell me, how can I possibly help you?”

“I don’t need help because there’s nothing wrong, Kotori.” Yuuma sighs, dipping his head forward to avoid her stare. “It’s just … the monsters are talking to me.”

“What?” Kotori says, and this time it’s all eyes in the library on _her._ She covers her mouth and apologises, then, much quieter, says, “What?”

“I can hear the duel monsters,” Yuuma says.

“Since when?”

Since … a month ago? Yuuma can’t quite remember when he heard them, though each voice is registered in his memory like an exotic melody. Yuuma can distinguish between Odd-Eyes and Hope’s voices, as well as any other duel monster he’s come across. They all have their own tone and pitch to them that draws in Yuuma’s interest.

“I _think_ it was a month ago –”

“And you saw no reason to tell anyone?” she interrupts.

“I _am_ telling someone, Kotori. I’m telling you.” Kotori gathers her remaining things before she slips on her knapsack and together they head to the door. Yuuma stays at the front, attempting to walk ahead while also talking to Kotori, and he struggles with both. “It’s like, well, how do I putt this …”

Kotori puts a hand on his shoulder. “What are you trying to say, Yuuma?”

With a deep breath of air, Yuuma says, still in one breath, “Everyone gets all weird when I tell them this, and honestly we’ve heard duel monsters’ voices enough that this isn’t any different. If I can hear duel monsters, that means I’m just close with them and listening carefully for their voices.”

The response doesn’t seem to please Kotori; she shrugs and looks down at her toes. “Not really, Yuuma. Everyone’s close with their monsters and I haven’t heard of anyone hearing voices. Are you sure it’s the duel monsters?”

“Who else could it be?”

“Your imagination?”

Yuuma shakes his head, pink feelers brushing his cheeks. “No way,” he answers. “No one imagines voices - you hear them or you don’t. And besides, Action Duels should have something like that. Maybe it’s new hardware in the system, like when the D-Gazers got that update to do voice texting and we heard the AI voice.”

“That’s not the same though,” Kotori answers. She clears her throat, and her next words come out stronger: “Have you told your Maiami friends about this?”

“They don’t believe me,” Yuuma says. “I think they’re lying: how can I be the only one hearing voices? Besides, this isn’t the same as with Astral: everyone can see duel monsters, and they should be able to hear them too.”

“Hearing things is a lot different than seeing things though,” she says. “I get what you mean, Yuuma, I really do, but if you tell everyone you’re hearing things they’re going to think you’re crazy. I’’m sorry, but that just isn’t taken well by anyone, be them from Maiami or Heartland.” She considers her next words. “I’m not asking you to keep this to yourself, but don’t overshare it. Please.”

Yuuma lays a hand over his chest. “The only people I’ve told are Kaito and Chris; Durbe, Shark, and Vector; and then Yuzu and Yuuya.”

“That’s not keeping a secret,” Kotori says. “Promise though you won’t tell anyone else?”

“Even if that’s the only thing I could say to someone to keep them alive?”

Kotori rolls her eyes. “Be serious.”

“Fine,” Yuuma answers, “I’ll keep it a secret. Geez, you’re as uptight about this as the others.”

“Hearing things isn’t a sign of anything good.”

Off the top of his head, Yuuma can think of several good reasons when hearing voices has helped him, which he counts off for  Kotori with a bright smile. If she’s on board the anxiety train, then it’s up to Yuuma to convince her that he’s fine.

By this point, Yuuma and Kotori step out of the school doors and into the parking lot. The warm sun beats sticky heat onto them; Kotori in her summer uniform is still sweating, and she fans at her cheeks to keep them from glowing. Yuuma unbuttons his shirt, under which is a white t-shirt, and fans himself as well.

“Duel class today?” Kotori asks.

Yuuma nods.

“You should try to find a way to get Haruto to join. He was talking to me earlier about how much he’s wanted to attend, but without an adult signature he can’t …” She frowns. “You got Kaito to sign yours, didn’t you? He wouldn’t approve though of Haruto travelling so far, even if he’s with you …”

“Sure he would,” Yuuma says. “We should call him right now –”

Kotori lays a hand on his. “Don’t. He won’t agree to it. If Haruto really wants to go, we can use my dad as a reference. He’ll agree to it; I’m sure of it.”

_“Fine_ then.” Yuuma crosses his arms, but soon after unfolds them to stretch up towards the clouds. He and Kotori walk towards the train station, where Kotori has promised him to visit duel school. Since neither of them have class, Yuuma sees no problem with Kotori coming to meet Yuuya and Yuzu, and maybe even Sora too. He’s told her extensively about each of them.

During the summer, the train is far more packed with students travelling between cities for the holidays. There are no seats available, so Yuuma and Kotori stand face-to-face in a crowded train car among high-schoolers dressed to the nines in crisp summer clothes. Kotori had decided to wear her school uniform to study, but Yuuma in his shirts and shorts fits right into the summery crowd.

“I’ve never been to Maiami City before,” Kotori speaks up.

“Probably because we weren’t allowed to since last year,” Yuuma says. “Yuuya and Yuzu have only been over here a few times too. It’s not that different actually - all the cities are similar except Maiami has better technology and they wear cool shoes with heels.”

This makes Kotori chuckle. “That’s what you remember about Maiami? That they have cool shoes?”

Yuuma’s cheeks heat up. “Well what am I supposed to remember? That’s something interesting, Kotori!”

She waves off his embarrassment. “Nothing, nothing - I’m just teasing.” She hops from foot to foot as passengers begin to clear out; none of them give up their seats, but now they don’t have to be quite so close, and Kotori can step back enough that Yuuma catches her deck case – small, sparkly pink – hooked to the edge of her skirt.

“You’re dueling?” he asks, pointing to her deck box.

“Maybe. It depends on how good they are.”

Yuuma shrugs. “We should be a team: Heartland vs. Maiami. And then we’ll do boys vs. girls afterwards. If I had known you’d brought your deck, maybe I could’ve let Yuuya know before - wait, I’ll text him now!” Yuuma pulls out his D-Gazer and makes to text when –

_Hi yuuma, can’t make it to class today, sorry._

Yuuma pauses. He swallows and blinks, hoping that he’s not reading the message correctly. At Kotori’s confused expression, he passes the phone over to her. At first, she doesn’t look so shocked, and she even shrugs at him, but then her eyes widen and she _knows._

“He’s not coming?”

“He always comes to class though, even when he’s late.” Yuuma’s arm swings downwards; his fingers struggle to hold onto the D-Gazer. It feels like the _world_ is pushing him down, deep into the ground. The brakes of the screech in his ears that feel like they’re filled with cotton. Distantly, Yuuma thinks this should be OK. He and Yuuya don’t have to be together always. He can see him tomorrow. However, Yuuma can’t imagine a class without his friend, especially one that he’s brought Kotori to. A part of him wonders what’s keeping Yuuya from class, and Yuuma’s fingers twitch around his D-Gazer.

“That’s fine,” Kotori says. “Maybe he’s sick.”

“We can’t duel now though,” Yuuma says. “Maybe we should just go to Yuuya’s house instead of class –”

“Just send him a message,” Kotori says, “and whether he responds or not, we should just let him be unless he wants us over. There must be an important reason if he’s skipping school.”

“He doesn’t skip school though,” Yuuma insists. “He loves duel school just as much as I do, and he wouldn’t miss it for anything. _Honestly,_ Kotori, if we’re his friends we should go to his house. I think I know where it is, and maybe Yuzu will come with us if we tell her.”

Kotori shakes her head. “You’re making a big deal of this. You don’t go after your friends when they skip class, so there’s no reason for you to bother Sakaki-kun.”

“But it’s duel class –”

“Yuuma,” Kotori snaps, “what if he’s sick or has some urgent business? I can tell you want to go see him and that’s great, but that doesn’t mean we should stalk him. If it bothers you so much, send him a message with well wishes and see if he responds.”

As people begin to shuffle out of the train, Kotori grabs Yuuma’s t-shirt and pulls him out of the car with him. Once they are outside, it’s up to Yuuma to navigate the streets for You Show Duel School. Kotori follows behind him, admiring the trees and houses lined up and down the boulevards. At this hour, the streets are still busy with midday shoppers. Yuuma remembers walking down these streets at twilight and relishing in the silence.

Outside You Show, Yuzu stands with one foot back against the wall and shoulders leaned back into the building’s side. She looks up when she sees them, eyes crinkling at the corners like they always do when she’s happy, and she pushes off the wall to greet them. Her eyes fall on Yuuma first, and then on Kotori; she happily bows forward. “Hiiragi Yuzu,” she greets.

Kotori bows as well. “Mizuki Kotori. I’m Yuuma’s friend from Heartland.”

“Mizuki-chan?” Yuzu looks to Yuuma. “From your class, right?”

Yuuma nods. “She came here to duel with us today, but …” Yuuma sighs. “Yuuya’s not coming now.”

Yuzu’s brows furrow together. “He sent me a message too, but we can still duel. Two vs. one – I bet I can take both of you on.” Then, to Kotori: “After class though. Yuuma and I need to practice something first.”

In class, Kotori sits quietly and listens. Yuzu explains that normally only students get to sit in classes, but that because Yuuya isn’t here and her father is a bit more relaxed about the rules, Kotori can sit with them. When they go to practice, Kotori sits to the side and watches as Yuuma and Yuzu practice once again Advance Summoning with two monsters. It seems easier in theory; after all, two monsters are needed for Fusion and Xyz summoning too. However, with both of them trying to Advance Summon, Yuuma finds himself attacking Yuzu’s monsters before she can complete the summon.

“Yuuma, Yuzu,” Shuuzou calls from the booth, “you’re practicing, not dueling. You can leave each other’s monsters alone.”

Yuuma laughs. That’s why it’s become so difficult.

To their side, Kotori watches with rapt interest. When Kotori is nearby, Yuuma feels stronger. It's a different feeling from being next to Yuuya who makes Yuuma’s heart beat faster, or when he was with Astral who used to fill Yuuma with hope. Kotori is a solid support that keeps him straying too far from the duel; she tells him when to focus and when he can let loose.

When Yuuma duels next to Kotori, he feels more confident in himself. Thus, when classes are over, Yuuma eagerly teams up with her. They stand side by side, duel disks ready. Across the field, Yuzu squares her shoulders and holds up her duel disk.

The Field glows in a stage set along the water. Yuuma catches the slivers of golden sun painted on the rippling water and his mind throws him back to walks along the Heartland River with Kotori. He wonders if such a place exists in Maiami that inspired such a duel field, or perhaps Reiji has been to Heartland too. Across the water, Yuuma spots the outlines  of buildings. _Is that Heartland …?_

Yuzu’s words snap him out of his musings. “Ready to chant?” she says, winking.

Yuuma jumps. “Ready!”

Only halfway through the Action Duel chant does Yuuma remember that Kotori has only seen a handful of professional Action Duels on television, none of which featured the traditional chant, and so as Yuuma and Yuzu pull her through the song her face only grows more confused. It’s only when they begin to spin that she smiles, softly at first and then _laughing_ to Yuuma and Yuzu’s chorused voices.

When they land, Yuuma starts the duel before Kotori can get her bearings. He opens first with a Summon, Special Summon, and then an Xyz summon; Yuzu’s father, Shuuzou, whistles over head at the Advance Summon. Yuuma sets one Trap card in the hopes that it’ll protect him.

“You have an opening move?” Yuzu says. “I’ve never seen this play before.”

“It’s different every time,” Yuuma insists.

Kotori chuckles. “I’m sure I’ve seen this play before,” she says, “but I also think Kaito and Shark have the same opening moves too. You shuffled, right?”

“I _always_ shuffle,” Yuuma says. “I’ve just got luck on my side to bring me the best plays!”

Yuzu fans out her cards. “Then I guess luck is on my side too.”

Yuzu drops three cards onto her duel disk: Solo the Melodious Diva, Sonata the Melodious Diva, and Fusion Summon. Clasping her hands above her head, Yuzu calls out, “"Echoing melodious voice! Flowing melody! With guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Now come here to the stage! Schuberta the Melodious Maestra!” Yuzu bring her hands down for the Summon, which lights up both the duel disk and the stage. Sunlight arcs up and above her as the sky churns; from within the Fusion void comes a radiant monster, honey-brown hair billowing behind her as she settles just next to Yuzu.

“Can’t attack on my first turn,” Yuzu explains, “but I’ll be banishing some cards to bump her ATK up.”

Yuuma’s mouth drops when Schuberta’s attack jumps up. “3000 ATK? _Why?”_

Kotori rolls her eyes. “Yuuma, Hope can negate that attack. Have you forgotten?”

All at once, Yuuma sobers. “‘Course I haven’t.”

While Yuzu and Yuuma are comfortable being silent with their plays, Kotori still talks her plays out as if she’s remembering what steps she has to take. “I Summon Gellenduo. Then I set one card.”

“No Xyz summon?” Yuuma asks.

Kotori’s head drops. “I don’t have the cards yet, but trust me, I won’t lose yet.”

To Yuuma’s surprise, the duel is close. Whenever Yuuma gets a trump card out, Yuzu is quick to retaliate with a counter-attack. Kotori’s own spell cards and monster effects keep her alive, but Yuzu’s Fusion monsters out beat anything either Yuuma or Kotori has to offer. It isn’t until Yuuma drops to 100 LP that he draws an ace card that turns the duel around.

“That’s called the Yuuma Advantage,” Kotori jokes. “The ability to turn any situation around.”

Yuzu’s LP drop to 0.

Next, Yuuma takes on both Kotori and Yuzu. Unfortunately for him, their strategies work much more in tandem, and having two Fairy decks that boost up their combined Fields (which Yuuma now realises he should not have agreed to) makes all their combos work together. Yuuma struggles to Xyz Summon, and in no time his LP plummets thanks to his opponents’ combined powers.

“Tie,” Yuzu says, shuffling her cards with a precise flick of her wrist and cascading them between her fingers. “One more duel?”

Yuuma opens his mouth to agree when he D-Gazer buzzes, and he tears it off all too quickly to read whatever Yuuya has said.

_See you in class tomorrow!_

Yuuma smiles. “All right, one more duel!”

By the time they finish, with a score that none of them can understand but altogether agree that Yuzu won the most matches, Yuzu walks Yuuma and Kotori back to the train station. With the long days of sunshine, it still feels like the afternoon as they travel through daylit streets. Kotori chats amiably to Yuzu about Heartland’s dance classes which remind her of Action Duels, and Kotori suggests that perhaps Heartland Academy can combine dueling classes and dance classes.

“Action Dueling should be in all dueling competitions soon. Reiji wants it to be an international success to bring duelists together in peaceful dueling. I’m surprised it hasn’t been brought over yet …”

Yuuma frowns. “Before time reset, were there Action Duels in Heartland?”

Yuzu’s eyes narrow and she glances at Kotori.

“She knows,” Yuuma says. “I told my friends about the time reset.”

“Entertainment duels were everywhere,” Yuzu says. “All the dimensions had duel schools, and all of them had peaceful duels … We lost all of it when time reset, and Reiji and Yuuya have been struggling to replace the hype.”

“Isn’t that dangerous though?” Kotori asks. “Yuuma said that Entertainment duels were once dangerous before. Who’s to say that won’t happen again?”

“The glitches were fixed,” Yuzu says shortly.

“Those weren’t glitches though.” At Yuzu’s shocked expression. Kotori apologises. “What I mean to say is that those were psychological responses to dueling - that can happen to anyone.”

“Reiji has assured us,” Yuzu insists, “that nothing like that could happen again. Duelists duel for pleasure and smiles, and the audience is entertained by the magic of duel monsters.”

“It could still happen though,” Yuuma points out, but then shrugs off the serious mood. “But if they’re dueling for violence, then that’s not dueling. Ever.”

At the train station, Yuuma and Kotori say goodbye to Yuzu with hugs and well-wishes.

“Mizuki-chan,” Yuzu says, “do you want to come to duel school?”

“Eh? Oh no, I still have extra summer homework and dance class, and then I’m hoping to help out at my dad’s computer shop too. I’ll have to come with Yuuma more though - you’re very kind, Hiiragi-chan!”

Yuzu blushes as pink as her hair, which she then begins to twirl around her finger. “I hope we can duel again soon. And you should compete in Tributed Duelists! Both of you, please! The registration ends at the end of this week, and Yuuya, Sora, and I will all be participating. This is Reiji’s way of introducing the dimensional cities to Entertainment dueling, and both of you would be perfect for it!”

“I’m already going to sign up!” Yuuma says.

“I don’t think I have a high enough record to qualify,” Kotori admits, “but I’ll still try.”

“The tournament takes place next week, so sign-ups end soon.” She claps her hands together and bows forward. “Please duel with us as spread the love of Entertainment dueling.”

The train rolls into the station just as Yuuma and Kotori bid Yuzu farewell on more time. This time, the train is far quieter, and they pick a seat towards the back where Yuuma can lie around and text Yuuya back. Yuuma wonders if Yuuya was with Reiji today, perhaps preparing the last of things for the upcoming tournament. In truth, Yuuma is _very_ curious about who Reiji is, as neither Yuuya or Yuzu have said anything more than his name.

“He’s the vice-CEO of Leo Corporation, I thought,” Kotori says when Yuuma brings it up to her. “Didn’t you get to meet him when you first went to duel school?”

“I’ve never seen him before, but …” Yuuma pauses. “His little brother came to duel school last week. Reira, I think his name was.”

“How come you’re so curious about Akaba-san though?”

“I want to ask him about Entertainment dueling,” Yuuma says. “He was a Lancer too, or at least he was in charge of the Lancers. Maybe he knows about the violent Entertainment duels. Maybe that’s where Yuuya is.”

Before Yuuma can get up out of his seat, Kotori sticks out her hand and pushes him back down. “We’re not going after them, Yuuma. Whatever Reiji and Yuuya are doing is none of our business, and they probably don’t want anyone else sticking their nose in it.” When Yuuma opens his mouth to argue, Kotori says more, voice louder, “And what is it about you going after Sakaki-kun? Why do you need to be with him?”

The turn of questions makes Yuuma stumble and his cheeks heat up. “He’s a _friend,_ Kotori. Aren’t you worried about him?”

“Hiiragi-chan wasn’t,” Kotori remarks. “Do you miss him, Yuuma?”

“N-no, it’s not like that – it’s not like anything –”

Kotori sighs. “If you’re worried about him, let him know, but don’t chase after him. He’ll come to you when he’s ready. Besides, everyone can keep secrets –”

“No, they can’t –”

“– and that’s fine. Nobody shares everything with the whole world.”

Yuuma sighs and leans over his knees. “Astral and I told each other everything we could,” he murmurs to the floor. “We had no secrets and both of us were happy. That means … that means more people could do it. Secrets break people apart, Kotori.” Looking up, Yuuma says, “You don’t keep secrets from me, do you?”

“No, I don’t,” she says, “but it wouldn’t be wrong if I did. But here, let’s talk about something different. I don’t want to have this conversation on the train home.” Her expression softens as she looks over at the river separating Maiami and Heartland, and then at the bridge that connects them. As much as Yuuma tries to remember life last year, he can’t imagine a bridge ever connecting the worlds together. Yet at the same time Yuuma can’t _not_ think the bridge hasn’t always been there, which spins his mind even more. It’s as if the bridge has always been there, and he’s known it at the corners of his mind, but he’s never fully been aware of it.

It’s the time rewrite. Yuuma wonders if that moment when Ray rewrote the universe also happened at the same time when Yuuma stopped Don Thousand and reversed the damage the Barian god had done. Did those two events have anything in common? Or maybe Ray stopped Don Thousand too by rewriting _Yuuma’s_ timeline as well …

At the train station, he and Kotori part ways. The thoughts continue to linger in Yuuma’s mind as he heads back home. Does he really care that much about Yuuya? When Astral was with him, Yuuma was never alone. There was always someone with him. For the most part, that happens now; there are few hours of his waking day where Yuuma _isn’t_ with someone, but when he is …

Yuuma is alone. More than anything, Yuuma wants to call up Yuuya and ask him to come over, but even his sister and grandmother can’t know about his Maiami friends because he’s keeping secrets from them, and Yuuma doesn’t want to keep secrets in the first place but this one he _has_ to, and if his sister found out he was in duel school –

He’d never be able to go to duel school again.

_I hate secrets._

He whispers it to the silence in his mind that threatens to swallow him up. Yuuma’s fingers clench around his D-Gazer with its zero notifications, and soon his eyes are filled with tears.

_I hate secrets._

When Yuuma gets to his house, he climbs up to his bedroom window and slips inside; his feet still catch on the windowsill and he tumbles onto his bed. He waits until he doesn’t hear his sister’s or grandmother’s footsteps before he scales up the ladder to his bedroom – the one he _actually_ sleeps in – and he curls into a ball on his hammock. Moonlight drips in through the window, catching on the Key that dangles around his neck.

_I hate secrets._

Yuuma throws his arms to his sides and lies stick-straight with his eyes up at the ceiling dotted with glow-in-the-dark stars. If Astral was with him, he’d float just above Yuuma and ask him questions about his day. He’d try to diagnose Yuuma’s problems and offer a prognosis to get better. Yet Astral isn’t here, and if Yuuma wakes up Akari she won’t want to help, and Yuuma can’t think of anyone else he’d call. He’s already told everyone about it and no one wants to put any effort into helping him solve this. With the tournament just around the corner, Yuuma thinks it’s best that everyone knows the truth about Entertainment dueling.

And yet his heart also feels heavy for sharing such secrets when Yuuya has kept them hidden for over a year. Yuuma wonders what other secrets Yuuya hides and who else Maiami duelists have told about the time rewrite. Maybe there is no one in Academia or City that knows about the rewrite, and they simply continue to live their lives in peace.

His sister and grandmother live their lives free of Entertainment dueling and time rewriting magic. His family would probably blame it on the Barian Invasion instead of Entertainment dueling.

The loneliness hits him with one more, overpowering wave before Yuuma clicks on his duel disk and calls up Vector. It doesn’t matter how late it is; Yuuma needs someone to listen to him, and Vector is as good as anyone at this hour.

He doesn’t answer. Yuuma tries Shark’s, Durbe, and Alit’s cell phones too. Again, no answer.

There are no new notifications in the corner of his screen.

Yuuma throws his D-Gazer across the room, hears it hit the wall but does not see the crash. He curls up in a ball in his hammock and buries his face in his blanket, imagining hands on his shoulders and a presence in his mind that eases the empty holes within his soul. His patchworked mind longs for something to fill the cracks – cracks that for a year have been raw and open.


	13. Listen Kaito! Time to Get Haruto Properly Enrolled in Duel School!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> totally realised i missed embedding two chapter cards (the cute pictures). so ... here they are ~ (except chapter 11 because i haven't made that one yet)

For days, Yuuma contemplates how to get Haruto to duel school. He and Kotori have compiled a list of adults they could contact that would vouch for Haruto, which ended up far smaller than they’d imagined. Even fewer adults were willing to let a child cross the train every day to study. Neither Yuuma nor Kotori could ask their parents; Chris and Kaito would not be happy either. There are no other adults that Yuuma knows well enough to ask, so he settled for the next best thing.

Friday morning, Yuuma knocks on the Kamishiro mansion door, musing on who he’ll greet first. It’s early, well before Vector or Shark will be up, but who Yuuma greets is someone that he hadn’t expected to see. Of all the Barians, Mizael is the most quiet and reserved emperor. He rubs at his eyes, still detailed in eyeliner, and asks, “Good morning. Do you need someone?”

Yuuma’s smile widens. “You, in fact.”

Mizael huffs. “What do you need?”

_“You,”_ Yuuma says again, rolling his eyes with a chuckle. “Haruto wants to go to duel school with me and the coach’ll let him, but he needs permission first and, well, Kaito and Chris aren’t going to agree to Haruto travelling around on the train. The permission form needs an adult signature, and since you’re an adult …” Yuuma leaves the question hanging. He holds the paper out to Mizael, who pulls a pair of glasses off the top of his head and peers at the small font.

“Last time I checked,” Mizael says, “I’m supposed to be in junior high.”

“I know _that,”_ Yuuma says, “but you were still an adult thousands of years ago. You’re as close to an adult as it gets, and I’m sure the coach will accept your signature. _Please_ Mizael! Haruto really wants to go, and you’re the only person in _all_ of Heartland who can sign this form for him. Please don’t crush his dreams.”

Mizael crosses his arms; the paper dangles between his fingers and tucked under one arm, out of sight from Yuuma.

“You’re going to let Haruto lie about his whereabouts just so a few days a week he can go to duel school? According to Nasch –”

“I don’t like to lie,” Yuuma interrupts, “and that’s _right._ What’s also right is that I like to bring hope and happiness, and Haruto won’t be happy if he can’t go to this. This is a duelist’s dream, Mizael. Maiami has some of the best duelists of all the cities simply because there’s amazing schools like this. Imagine having the opportunity to go to one! This doesn’t happen every day.”

“And should something happen to Haruto?”

“It won’t.”

Mizael does not back down. “And if it does?”

“If something bad happens, they’ll call your number. Or Coach might come and get me because I’ll be teaching that class. Nothing bad’s going to happen though, so you don’t need to be so pessimistic.”

Mizael shrugs. As they are still in the entryway, Mizael suddenly opens the door up more to let Yuuma in; noticing the gesture, Yuuma barges through and heads to the kitchen, where he spots Alit and Durbe sitting at the bar. Alit has something tall and green in a smoothie cup that makes Yuuma stare far too long at it, while Durbe sips quietly at a cup of hot chocolate.

“This school,” Mizael beings, “does it have anything to do with the upcoming tournament?”

Yuuma’s eyes glow. “You know about the tournament?”

“Yes, but that’s not what I’m asking after.” He takes a sip from an abandoned mug on the counter that also looks like hot chocolate. “Will Haruto be in the tournament?”

“He can if he wants to,” Yuuma says. “It all depends on his dueling score. It never said exactly what they’re looking for, but they don’t want newer duelists in the tournaments. Why does that matter, though?”

“The last time Maiami hosted a tournament, it was a trap to create the Lancers who went on to fight the Supreme Dragon King Zarc. The last time City hosted a tournament, it was to uphold the classist nature of the city; needless to say, Academia spies were involved in these duels. And finally, Academia has a history of violent methods to draw duelists into cults that _kill_ other duelists. Yuuma, you don’t think this is a lighthearted duel? How could it possibly be after all of that?”

Yuuma swallows. “Where did you find all of that …?”

“I found it online,” Durbe explains. “Kaito and Chris too. Leo Corporation can’t keep everything hidden, and between Vector and I we’ve found enough information to pass onto Chris and Kaito. Believing Vector actually turned out to be ‘for the best’ for once.” A low, long-suffering chuckle. “He’s right: all these other cities have been involved in some shady business.”

“And Heartland?”

“In their timeline, we were wiped out. Ray’s wish brought us all back to life without resetting our own dimensional timeline, so we survived both the Academia Invasion and the Barian Invasion.”

“But that means Heartland still has its own dark history,” Yuuma says. Crossing his arms, he says, “Wouldn’t that mean we’re no safer than anywhere else, and _no one_ should participate in any tournaments?”

“I mean –”

“It’s wrong, isn’t it, to judge a city by its history from a select few people. Is Heartland looked down on for forgiving the Barians? Am I looked down for sparing everyone?” Raising his voice, Yuuma says, “Are you going to judge those other cities harder than you judge yourselves? Who gets to decide who’s good or bad –”

“Yuuma.”

Yuuma shakes his head. “I’ll tell Kaito then. No more secrets.”

“Haruto won’t be allowed to participate in anything from the other dimensions –”

“Because here is so much better.”

“Yuuma.”

The voice startles all of them. Shark appears in all his grace and glory and shark-print pyjama bottoms, attempting to tame his hair that, rather that point out from his head, shoots out in haphazard spikes. He fastens his hair in a ponytail that captures all of his hair points and then levels them all with a glare. “Are you really fighting at – what the hell time is it? – _eight in the fucking morning?_ What could possibly be this serious?”

Tears well up in Yuuma’s eyes even before he can get the words out of his clogged throat. “I - I mean – Shark, it’s not fair!” One foot stomps  on the ground, sending a tremor through the entire kitchen. “You’re all against Academia and change and new people, and who has any right to separate us? We were once all together and we are again, and fighting will only pull us apart again.

“I want to be with Yuuya more than anything else and I want to become an Entertainment duelist that brings hope and smiles to the world, and every single one of you seems to think that’s a bad idea. You think I’ll be led astray by strange ways? That I can’t handle myself in a duel? My _tactics_ and my _morals_ will keep me grounded in positive dueling, and my friends are no different. If you’re going to hate on the other cities, then - well - I don’t know! Stop, maybe.

“Whatever your problem is with the other dimensional cities, that’s blind mistrust of the unfamiliar. We’re all different and that’s OK, and we don’t all have to duel the same, and as Yuuya even says we don’t have to smile the same, but that doesn’t mean we turn on one another. We are all connected, each and every one of us, and I won’t let you hate on Academia and City and Maiami. Stop it now.”

Yuuma scrubs at his eyes. “You’re going to tear us all apart again.”

Shark rubs at his hair, then at his eyes. “It’s too early in the morning for this,” he mutters before looking up at Yuuma. “Everyone’s got their own reasons for being suspicious, and that won’t tear us apart. That will ensure that something like _that_ doesn’t happen again.”

“That doesn’t mean you need to go out of your way to avoid them –”

“It isn’t hard, Yuuma,” Shark says.

“If you could just act kindly to them, then that would go a long way.” Looking from Alit and Durbe – who haven’t said a word and appear caught in the conversation – and to Mizael and Shark, Yuuma says, “You all get along despite what happened in the past, so who’s to say that won’t happen again? I mean, you don’t have to be friends … Yuuya said that you can’t force smiles and friendship. But living alongside, in sync with the other dimensional cities - that’s not a big wish.

“Regardless of whatever you say, I’m going to compete in Maiami’s Tributed Duelists tournament, and more than anything I want Haruto to join me in duel school. And I can do all that without your help, but I don’t want to. I want you to stand next to me, as friends.”

Setting down his green smoothie, Alit says, “I would. They’re cool, and they want to make friends too. We’ve all got history, and I’m willing to overlook what they _fixed_ and meet them as fellow duelists.”

“Me too,” says Durbe. “I won’t be dueling against any of them, but if what you say is true, Yuuma, then it appears they are trying their best to stop such events from happening again.”

Mizael just raises his hands. “It’s none of my business what you do, but Kaito’s signing off for Haruto, not me. Kaito and I have had enough battle in our lifetimes - it’s not my decision to make.”

Yuuma looks to Shark, who doesn’t meet his eyes as he glances around the room at the other Barians. Then, sighing, Shark says, “You do you. Duel with Yuuya. He seems have some effect on you, whatever that might be. Just … be careful. Don’t do anything stupid, and keep an eye on the new technology. I trust you, but I don’t trust their dueling system.”

“I promise you, Shark - it’s going to be OK.”

“You’ve said that before you’ve done the _stupidest_ things Yuuma. Your luck to persevere and your eternal hope – please don’t lose those.”

“I won’t.” Yuuma fiddles with the form in his hands, still unsigned. “I just want everyone to be able to duel together. That’s my greatest wish.”

With a push, Shark gets Yuuma moving towards the door. “Say that to Kaito and make his old, adult heart melt. He’s guaranteed to listen to you if you’re getting this sappy. Honestly, that’s probably why Yuuya loves you so much –”

“He does?” Yuuma interrupts.

Shark raises an eyebrow. “Have you never googled his name before?”

Embarrassed, Yuuma crosses his arms and huffs. “No, I haven’t, because I wouldn’t google someone’s name when I can just ask them the question. Why would I though, and what does that have to do with Yuuya … loving me?”

“Just wait here a moment. You’ll want to see this.”

Shark heads up the stairs and disappears on the next level; when he returns, he’s holding his D-Pad loaded with a DuelTube video. Yuuma can’t see much at first (the video appears to be blurry, as if taken from a D-Gazer or other cell phone camera) but then the lens focuses on Yuuya, bright and radiant, standing before the very same card that lights the world in happiness: Smile World. The video captures the card effects. There are emojis everywhere that dance among the star-speckled sky.

_“Ladies and Gentlemen!”_ Yuuya cries out to an audience that cheers for him.

“He’s an Entertainment duelist destined to bring happiness and smiles to the world. Sappy and sentimental is his forte too, it appears. He probably fell in love with your dueling, whatever you want to call your style.”

Yuuma can see how. Yuuya duels with as much pizazz as he claims his friend Dennis does, with an extra cheery flair when sails across the sky in rainbow arcs. His monsters follow his movements, spinning and twirling alongside him. Meanwhile, the audience cheers and laughs.

Yuuma wonders if this was Zarc’s wish: a truly pure Entertainment duel.

Before Yuuma can finish watching the video, Shark clicks off the screen and gives him another push onto the patio. “Go find Kaito and tell him to stop babying his sibling, or else Haruto will end up as snarky as Rio.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, Shark adds, “Thanks for coming to visit –”

“Thanks, Shark! You’re the best!” Yuuma is already down down the stairs and running down the street by the time Shark looks up and manages to wave at Yuuma’s retreating figure.

Thankfully, it isn’t much more than a brisk jog to Kaito’s house. Located in the centre of Heartland, it still manages to take up an entire block. Yuuma enters through one of the four main doors that lead up the centre of the building, then heads towards the office rooms; security seems to know who he is – maybe Kaito once told them all about him – and they let him through the private doors with a headnod. From there, Yuuma dashes up several flights of carpeted stairs until he is in the main room of the Tenjou household.

To his surprise, Kaito isn’t in his lab. He’s in the kitchen, with Haruto and Chris, none of whom seem particularly cheery this morning. Kaito’s face is set in a deep scowl; Haruto has dried tears around his eyes. Chris seems the most calm of the three, hands on both Kaito’s and Haruto’s shoulders.

“I wanted to go –” Haruto says.

“You’re staying here –”

“You’ve gone to tournaments! Let me!”

“I didn’t go as a _child_ –”

“I’m not a child anymore! And this will be safer than anything _you’ve_ done.”

“Your life has been in danger because of dangerous dueling too. Just, Haruto – listen to me –”

Even without reference, Yuuma _thinks_ he knows what they’re arguing. With a battle cry of “Hey!” Yuuma throws up his hand with the paper. “Haruto’s going to duel school with me and I’m going to be his teacher, and if you’re going to pull the adult card on me then I can tell you I spoke with Mizael who’s older than an adult and Shark who thinks he’s an adult, and both of them think that it’s all going to be OK! So _please,_ Kaito –”

“What are you doing in my house, Yuuma?” Kaito says. At first, his eyes had been open wide, shocked, but now they narrow into slits, cheeks growing red from embarrassment.

“I came in through the front door …” Yuuma explains. “You’ve let me do it before.”

This only seems to make Kaito more upset. “We’re having a _private_ discussion, Yuuma –”

Hands in fists, Haruto says, “Yuuma just wants to be my teacher, Big Brother! He’s going to teach me how to duel, just like he teaches everyone to duel. I’m going to be an Entertainment duelist just like him - someone who brings … who brings hope and smiles to the audience and actors! That’s not something to worry about.”

The words ‘Entertainment dueling’ seem to make Kaito’s blood boil. “Entertainment dueling is _dangerous,_ Haruto –”

“So is everything!” Yuuma says. He slams the paper down on the counter before Kaito. “Everything is dangerous. There are always risks. We’re lucky the secret is out now that Entertainment dueling was _once_ dangerous, but that’s been resolved now. If you’re scared of it now, well … you’re a coward!” Yuuma pushes the paper towards Kaito. “Don’t be scared of the unfamiliar - embrace it! The dueling you’ve done, Kaito - don’t you want the same for Haruto?”

Chris drops his hands from Kaito and Haruto, and levels his gaze on Yuuma.

“Haruto wants to duel, and I want to teach him. You can teach him too, and you too, Chris! We’re all teachers - we all learn from one another through our duels! Keeping Haruto from this tournament though isn’t going to teach him anything. I want you to duel too, Kaito! I want all of us to duel together! And I want Haruto in my class, _please,_ with the rest of the junior youth Entertainment duelists. I _promise_ nothing bad will happen to him.”

Not meeting his eyes, Kaito murmurs, “That is too big of a promise to keep.”

Yuuma is resolute: “I _always_ keep my promises.” Holding out his hand, pinkie finger raised, Yuuma says, “I pinkie swear.”

Kaito does not raise his hand; instead, he looks at Yuuma’s outstretched hand, smallest finger up, and rolls his eyes. “You have got to be kidding me …”

“Just do it, Kaito,” Yuuma says. And Yuuma grabs Kaito’s hand, noting how Kaito doesn’t pull back and lets him curl their pinkie fingers together. Yuuma sings the song, accompanied by Haruto whose lips are upturned in the biggest smirk as his older brother suffers through an elementary school chant. Chris says nothing, smiling fondly at the peaceful antics. When all's said and done, Yuuma once again pushes the form towards Kaito, one eyebrow raised.

“You know you want to,” Yuuma singsongs.

“Do not make this weird, Yuuma,” Kaito says, and he signs his name along the bottom. “There Haruto, now you may duel. I’m sorry for getting upset with you. Is there –”

Haruto slams into his brother with enough force to knock them back into the cupboards and counters of the kitchen. He buries his face into his brother’s pyjama shirt, covered by his white lab coat. Haruto doesn’t let go for several moments, and when he does it’s only to lift his head up to smile tearily at his brother. “Thank you, Big Brother. Thank you. Yuuma is going to teach me how to duel, and you can help, and maybe we’ll be able to duel together soon.”

“This will be a good chance for Haruto to make friends,” Chris says. “How many students do you have?”

“Four,” Yuuma says, proudly holding out three fingers, which then changes to four. “Ayu, Futoshi, Tatsuya, and Reira. They’re all really good duelists and they love to learn! You’ll fit right in, Haruto!” While the conversations has briefly lulled, Yuuma takes out his D-Gazer and checks the time. He pockets it quickly. “And on that note, I have to go to class! Haruto, you coming with me?”

“Now?”

“There’s class today, and we need to catch the train! Ah … we’ll be home later, once I’m done my classes too!” At Kaito’s worried expression, Yuuma says, “I promise to bring back Haruto by tonight!”

“Please do not make me pinkie promise again,” Kaito answers with red cheeks.

Yuuma rushes back down the stairs, Haruto in tow, and together they head back to the local train station to the major exchange station, where they sit on uncomfortable yet familiar plastic chairs while they wait for the Heartland-Maiami train to arrive. Haruto has his deck in his hands and he thumbs through the cards, all shiny and new and protected in little clear sleeves. Yuuma recognises the archetype: Galaxy, similar to Kaito and Mizael and Fuuya, but different enough to be Haruto’s _own_ deck.

“Did you build it yourself?”

Haruto fans the cards out for Yuuma to see. “Big Brother helped me.”

Many of the cards are similar to Kaito’s own deck, but there’s also cards from Mizael’s and Thomas’ decks, and Yuuma even recognises a Hope card when Haruto shows him his Extra Deck. It’s as if all the duelists around Japan have come together to help Haruto build the greatest deck.

On the train, Yuuma remembers when he first travelled to Maiami. Even if Haruto snuck across once he still marvels at the trip over the bridge. The ocean is bright and shimmering; it blinds both boys as they sit side-by-side in the train car. At this hour the rush-hour traffic is minimal, so Yuuma and Haruto spread their cards out on the seats.

“Let’s duel,” Yuuma says to Haruto. “One match before we get there.”

It ends up being three matches, the third hastily finished as the train pulls into the station. Haruto calls out and describes his attacks just like his brother. His deck focuses mainly on bringing out monsters from his Extra Deck, though Haruto has also learned how to effectively use Summoned and Special Summoned monsters before he Xyz Summons. However, Yuuma notes that he rarely used Spell and Trap cards. Yuuma will be sure to correct that.

Once they are off the train, Haruto follows Yuuma to the duel school. He asks every question under the sun and moon about duel classes, most of which Yuuma can only answer with a “maybe” or “possibly.”

“I’ve never been to school, y’know,” Haruto says.

“Lucky,” Yuuma mutters. “Duel school is much more fun than regular school.”

“Are there lessons and classes in duel school?” Haruto asks. “Do I sit at a desk and study and do homework?”

“There’s class time where we all sit at desks and learn a new rule about the cards or about Summoning, and then there’s practice time in the duel room with the Solid Vision system. It creates realistic holograms that we’ll duel with. If you get lost throughout the day, I’ll be there to help you out, and your classmates will be happy to have you. They’ll all remember you from that one day, I think.”

They do. When Yuuma and Haruto burst through the doors, right on time with Shuuzou waiting in the front of the class, the other students’ eyes brighten.

“It’s - it’s –” Ayu begins. “Wait, what’s your name?”

“Tenjou Haruto,” he says. The others quickly make a spot for him next to Reira, who is the only child who doesn’t say anything but, with a warm smile, moves his backpack off the chair for Haruto.

Yuuma takes his place at the head of the class; Shuuzou wishes him a good lesson as he heads out the door, waving to the children who sit attentively at their desks for him. Yuuma already has the lesson planned out, and so after introductions he dives right into explaining card effects to the children. They scan through each other’s decks for monster effects and explore how these card effects act as Spells and Traps.

Despite being one of the newer students, Haruto seems to fit in with the others. Just like on the train he fans out his cards for his classmates to see, and he picks through his deck for monster effects that would help him in the duel.

“What about Xyz monsters?” Haruto asks. “Those have monster effects too, right?”

From down the tables, Futoshi asks, “You have Xyz monsters?”

Haruto spreads out his Extra Deck cards. Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya crane over the table to see the cards, all of which appear to be new to them. Yuuma’s never seen them duel with anything but Pendulum monsters, so these Extra Deck cards must be a new surprise for them. However, Reira does not seem bothered. When Ayu points this out, he says softly, “I have them too.”

Reira’s Extra Deck has Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz. His C/C monsters - an archetype Yuuma has never seen before – are versatile and fluid. Most of Reira’s cards are supported by several Spell cards, similar to Haruto’s, but the Monster Effects also bring out some of the best combos Yuuma can ever imagine. He remembers Yuuya telling him that Reira is Reiji’s younger brother; it makes sense then that Haruto would have such a good deck.

Before the duelists can become too antsy and giddy over Reira and Haruto’s decks, Yuuma herds them into the duel room to set up practice matches. With five of them in the class, group are uneven, yet Haruto immediately clings to Reira and claims that the other three can be a group.

“Xyz vs. multi-summons,” Haruto says, activating his duel disk and setting his cards in his deck slot. “This should be a good duel.” When Haruto looks up, Reira is only staring at him, expression blank. “Hey, ready to go?”

Wordlessly, Reira turns on his duel disk and starts the match. Yuuma thinks about setting up the chant since Haruto doesn’t know it, but Reira continues his turn, only setting down one card, before he passes the turn to Haruto.

“All right, Akaba-kun! Let’s do this! I draw.” Haruto pulls out one card, briefly examining it. Then I Special Summon Photon Thrasher in Attack mode. Then I set one card. Um … time to battle! I direct-attack with Photon Thrasher.”

Reira flips his card. Another monster, exactly like Reira’s, appears in his monster zone. It doesn’t stop the attack, but when Reira’s turn comes up, she uses the copied monster as part of a tribute for a Fusion summon. Yuuma picks up on the tactic quickly: C/C monsters capture and control their opponents. No matter what monsters Haruto brings out, Reira is already there with a counterattack to turn the tables back on Haruto.

In the end, Reira wins. He takes his deck out, shuffles it, and inserts it again. He seems be looking around the room for something or someone, so Yuuma climbs down from the control  booth to congratulate both duelists. He claps both of them on the backs and grins widely.

“A good duel!” Yuuma says. Haruto beams; Reira flinches. Yuuma doesn’t catch many of Reira’s faces, but when he sees that Reira isn’t smiling, and he doesn’t seem comfortable at all in the spotlight, he pulls back and says, “I’m going to watch the others. You two keep at it – you’re doing great!”

However, Yuuma doesn’t watch the others quite so closely. He continues to watch Haruto and Reira duel, marvelling at how precise Reira is in each attack, and how Haruto drinks up any and all attention he receives from his opponent. Reira is silent when he duels; Haruto is not. Musing, Yuuma even thinks that this may be Haruto and Reira’s own Entertainment duel: the energy is there from Haruto’s shouts and Reira’s tactics, swirling around the duelings and snaring Yuuma.

At the end of class, Haruto runs up to Yuuma and bows as low as his body can. “Thank you for taking me here! Thank you for convincing Big Brother to let me duel because –” Haruto swallows hard. “Because I can’t imagine _not_ dueling.”

“Kaito would’ve said yes,” Yuuma says, blushing. “He’s a duelist too.”

Haruto turns around to say more when  he notices Reira making his way out of the door, silent as a ghost and with his hands tucked in his jeans pockets. “Akaba-kun! Akaba-kun! See you later!”

Reira nods his head just as he disappears.

Laughing, Yuuma says, “Akaba-kun is a little brother too. His big brother, Akaba Reiji, runs the company that created this technology. You and Akaba-kun probably have a lot in common, come to think about it. It’s a good thing you’re in class together.” Sheepishly, Yuuma adds, “I have class too. Um, I think you can stay here, or maybe Yuzu knows of a good place –”

“There you are, Yuuma!” she says from the doorway, appearing like a called angel. She lays her arms one atop the other and leans against the doorframe. “Oh, you brought a friend, I think. This is …”

“Tenjou Haruto,” Haruto says.

“Tenjou …. Like Kaito?” she says.

Haruto’s eyes glimmer. “You know my Big Brother.”

Yuzu’s cheeks go pink, and she says, “Yeah, I’ve seen him on the news and stuff. Passionate photon duelist and all.”

“Yuzu, I have to take Haruto home, but after class, and … well …” Yuuma lets the question hang in the air, but when Yuzu doesn’t respond within the first three seconds, Yuuma says, “Can he hang out around your house or something? He’s good - he’s come to my house before.”

“I – sure. Sure, come on, Haruto.” She beckons him with a hand. “I have cartoons you can watch. Class isn’t much longer than a few of those, and I’ll make you a snack since you must be hungry.” Over her shoulder, to Yuuma, she says, “Meet me in class, OK? Dad’s just starting attendance.”

Yuuma nods and hurries across the hallway to the classroom, where everyone sits in neat little rows listening to Shuuzou call off names. Yuuma takes up his place next to Yuuya, who at once passes his a pencil around which is wrapped a crinkled note.

_Did you sign up for the tournament yet?_

Yuuma nods. He did it that morning before coming to get Haruto. Yuuma was surprised to see that neither he nor Yuuya placed high on the ranking charts for top duelists despite Yuuma winning one tournament, and Yuuya being one of the main Lancers. However, Yuuma had checked that both of them had got in. Yuzu’s name was on the signed roster too, as was Reiji’s and Gongenzaka’s. Yuuma recognises many of Yuuya’s friends’ names, even if he can barely remember what they looked like in videos and pictures Yuuya has sent him.

_I don’t think any of my Heartland friends have joined though …_

_That’s fine; interdimensional advertising hasn’t happened yet, and I don’t know if it will. Reiji is … struggling with other things._

_Tournament-related?_

_I’m not sure._

Yuuma looks up at Yuuya, who meets him with a shrug of his shoulders. Yuuma looks back down and writes, _My friend’s little brother is coming to You Show now!_

_Is that who I saw with Reira-kun in class?_

And it suddenly occurs to Yuuma that Yuuya _knows_ Reira, perhaps more than Yuuma can say he knows Haruto. Reira was a Lancer - a finalist from the Maiami Championship. Does that mean Reira knows what happened last year with Academia? Yuuma wonders if he can ask Reira about it, but perhaps Reira won’t talk to him. Yuuya will though …

_Reira is a Lancer, right?_

_Yeah, he came with his brother._

_Does he remember?_

This time it’s Yuuya who looks up, eyes narrowed. He dips his head to write down, but at once class starts, Yuzu stumbles into the classroom, and there is no longer any time to pass notes. Shuuzou dives right into the next lesson, which gets Yuuma’s heart pumping as soon as he says the words: “Fusion Summoning.”

Yuuma slams both hands down on the desk. “We’re going to Fusion Summon?”

“ _Yes,”_ Shuuzou says, waving his arms to get Yuuma seated again, “but not unless you sit down for a few more minutes, Yuuma. I hear your excitement and as soon as we get to the duel room you can jump more.”

Yuuma opens his mouth to retort when he realises that yes, he is jumping a little on his toes. He pulls himself back to the chair and sets his clenching hands under his legs. His mind begins to jump around more and more: he’s going to Fusion Summon, with Yuuya and Yuzu, and he’ll be a Fusion duelist and an Xyz duelist, and that means that perhaps all summer he’s going to learn all the new summoning methods, and then he’ll do his best in _so many tournaments that he’ll be the best ever and Astral will see him and Yuuya will see him and –_

A hand comes down on his shoulder and the thoughts disappear, exploding like cryptic symbols inside his mind. Yuuma comes to with the embarrassing realisation that he’s just missed the _entire_ explanation of Fusion Dueling, which he’ll now have to try out. He wants to assume that it’s easy and simply a matter of crying out ‘Fusion Summon’ with the correct materials, but if he’s studying it then it must be a bit more difficult than that.

“Did you get _any_ of that?” Yuzu asks.

“... sure,” Yuuma answers.

Yuzu rolls her eyes. Then she pushes several cards towards him, and says, “Few of us have Fusion Monsters and materials in our decks, so these can be yours. Use them well.”

They file back into the duel room and, just like Yuuya does for the junior youths, Shuuzou sets up the Solid Vision. The chatter is lulled by the machine’s engines as lights dazzle the sky to create the Action Field. Yuuma closes his eyes when the lights hit their brightest, and when he opens they are on a stage, similar to the one he once caught Rio dueling on, and _very_ similar to the same stage Yuuma remembers once seeing Sora and Yuzu spinning around on.

Yuuya and Yuzu take his hands and they _dance._ Fusion Dueling feels like a dance between partners; it complements Entertainment dueling in the ways that monsters are set and Summoned, released and fused together to create newer, complex monsters. The first time Yuuya Fusion Summons, he shoots his hands up above his head, clasps them together so tight that they _ache_ , and then bring them down with the battle cry of, _Fusion Summon!_

Every pair of eyes turns to him as the field glows with light. Yuuma’s card glows, transforming into something newer and better. The magic clears the field that a new Hope appears from the fusion vortex, garbed in a blue and red cape that flutters in the breeze. Yuuma jumps to stand on Hope’s shoulder; under his feet, Yuuma feels the duel monster’s breaths and pulse as if it were real.

And then Yuuma hears his monster’s voice in his head.

_I will protect you,_ Hope Unity says.

Hope Unity, however, is not as strong as Yuuma imagines. It’s still a monster card with weaknesses, and Yuzu’s Melodious Fusion deck wrecks his only Fusion monster. Bloom Diva knocks Hope Unity back into the wall, where the monster explodes in shimmering stardust.

“Already?” Yuuma says. “I just got him out.”

Yuzu winks. “Keep on your toes, Yuuma. But also … how did you get that card?”

“The power of kattobingu, I dunno,” he says. Yuuma shuffles his deck - the only card ‘trick’ he knows that he taught himself from watching DuelTube videos to impress Astral.

“Sounds like a stroke of good luck,” she says, smile tucked in the corner of her mouth.

“Luck is always on my side.”

Yuuma likes Fusion Summoning, especially the call-out where he can scream it as loud as he wants to, but Yuuma also likes _watching_ Fusion duels. Yuuya and Yuzu are evenly matched in Fusion strength, and they test out their skills in elaborate summoning matches and impressive combos that chip away at each other’s life points. Each duelist has their own style: Yuzu’s hands come up together to meet above her head, while Yuuya’s have already met and arc up and then down.

Yuuma can’t stop watching them. He’d watch Yuzu’s duels for days, noticing how precise she is in each movement. Her rhythm is mesmerizing for all to see. When Yuzu duels, she is like a diamond: radiant, perfect, beautiful.

And Yuuya? Yuuma would spend his life with Yuuya. Rather than perfect movements, Yuuya seems to dance to his own beat. His moves are spontaneous, coming together in unpredictable yet beautiful ways. When Yuuya duels, he is like a magician: outstanding, sparkling, captivating. He never loses his Entertaining charm, but there’s another personality that seems to spring forth when he stands on Starve Venom’s shoulder blades and rides the dragon like a king. Yuuya hears another voice, lilting and mocking say:

_I hope you don’t fall~_


	14. Imagine! The Wonderful, Magical Power of Zexal!

 

(art by the wonderful [homura-bakura](http://homura-bakura.tumblr.com/) and posted with permission - please consider supporting her wonderful writing and art with a [KoFi](https://ko-fi.com/A0481ORT)!)

Yuuma slams the papers down on Yuuya’s desk as he passes by, quickly coming around to stand before Yuuya. His eyes twinkle with the midday sun that filters through the classroom. There’s no class but Shuuzou let them practice in preparation for the tournament. There are so many required documents for registering for a tournament: permission forms, deck forms, duel style forms. There are waivers for accidents and injuries, and media and interviewing forms. Yuuma doesn’t remember ever signing so many papers for a tournament, but Yuuya explains that this is required by Leo Corporation to ensure the safety and enjoyable participation of all duelists.

“Is this why you were at Reiji’s and skipped class?” Yuuma asks as he begins signing random documents; next to him, Yuzu attempts to organise all the papers into three piles – as they were in three neat piles before Yuuma dropped them down the stairs – so that each of them has a stack of papers to read through and sign.

“It was one of the things I had to do. These are general forms; Yuzu and I had to sign them when we participated in the MCS last year. This year, the Akabas want to make sure that this tournament is in honest, good fun; that’s why duelists and decks are pre-screened before matches.” Yuuya glances among the papers spread along the desks and plucks one out. “This is the deck registration form. You’ll need to register every card in the deck you’ll be using; this is both to ensure that no banned cards make it into the tournament, and to keep track of what everyone is bringing with them for marketing purposes. 

Yuzu holds out another form. “This is a consent form for minors participating in the tournament. You and Haruto will need an adult signature. My dad can do it for you if you’d like –”

“I’ll ask Kaito,” Yuuma says with a laugh. “He likes to know what I’m getting myself into.”

“Here’s another one,” Yuuya says, pushing a paper towards Yuuma. “Press can’t interview you without this form, and they’ll have on file who can and cannot appear on national and global television.”

Yuuma leans closer. “I’m going to be on global television?”

“You could be,” Yuuya says. “Maiami tournaments, especially Leo Corporation’s, are broadcasted worldwide to promote Entertainment dueling. Tributed Duelists is an ode to duelists young and old. And” – Yuuya leans closer, until he and Yuuma are nearly nose-to-nose – “we could duel each other.”

Yuuma wheels back. “Seriously?”

“Depending on how they split up the duelists, we could be together.” 

From a fourth, non-forms pile, Yuzu pulls out a little brochure. ‘Tributed Duelists’ is bolded across the front, under which are all the major sponsors of the event. Leo Corporation stands out to Yuuma, though he also notes that Heartland Duel Academy is also listed. Since when did his school get involved with  _ anything  _ from the other dimensions …

“We’ll all be in the youth league, so there’s a good chance one of us will duel each other. There are twenty registered youth duelists, which is a small number of applicants –”

“It’s because the requirements were so strict,” Yuuma says. “Sometimes the amateurs want to duel too, but unless you had a professional dueling record you couldn’t get in. Kotori wanted to get in but she couldn’t, so I expect it was similar for other duelists.”

Yuuya nods solemnly. “Reiji wanted a pro-league tournament, so this turnout is to be expected. Still, I’m happy all of us made it.”

Yuzu folds out the rest of the brochure and points at the names listed under the youth league. “All of our friends are here, Yuuya. Masumi, Dennis, Shingo, Gongenzaka …” She looks up. “Sora wouldn’t join.”

Yuuya shakes his head. “He wants to duel casually for a while. I’m with him: pro-league duels are draining, but Reiji’s put so much work into this one that I know the result will be grand. Reiji won't be dueling either.” 

Yuuma’s eyes follow down the line, but none of the Barians are listed. Yuuma didn’t think they’d end up joining: it’s enough of a trip getting  _ to  _ Maiami, much less competing across the sea. However, under the junior youth list is Haruto’s name, and that makes Yuuma think that whatever a duelist wants to do, they will fight their  _ hardest  _ to get it. 

“Reira’s here,” Yuuma says, pointing to the list. “He was a Lancer too, wasn’t he?”

Yuuya nods, then adds, “Reiji brought him along, maybe because it was safer than him, maybe because Reiji thought Reira was strong enough to see what Academia was doing. And he was … she was …” 

“She?”

“Ray, his older sister. She was with him when it went down. I … don’t really know how to explain that part.” Yuuya rubs at his head, embarrassed. “I was with Zarc at the time, and all I remember was seeing Ray and Reira together, fusing, and bringing the dimensions together again. It’s their wish to have everyone together, just like how it used to be. That might be idealistic in vastly different dimensional cities, but it's something that Reiji and Reira are working towards.

“This tournament is meant to bring the dimensions closer together. Most of these duelists look like Maiami citizens, but then there’s you, Yuuma. You’re helping the Akabas make their vision a reality.”

“I just want to duel with you,” Yuuma says. “I want to be an Entertainment duelist.”

Yuuya pushes one more paper at him. “Sign here at the bottom them, Tsukumo Yuuma. You’re on your way to become Heartland’s finest Entertainment duelist.”

When the papers are out of the way, they are filed away into large envelopes which are kept with the duelist until the tournament. These documents act as the official application forms to enter the tournament, and without them no one can enter. The three students double-check to make sure everything is in place before they seal them and put them in the main desk at You Show - the one place Yuzu is certain they can find the folders again.

Once the paperwork has been settled, Yuzu and Yuuya move on to practicing Fusion Summons with Yuuma. Yuzu explains with a laugh that no matter how hard Yuuma shouts out the chant, if he doesn’t have the Fusion materials he can’t Fusion Summon. 

“This is such a specific card,” she says in between the match, peering at Hope Unity. “You need two LIGHT Gagaga or Gogogo monsters –”

“Which is what my deck is,” Yuuma insists.

“ – and Hope Unity’s main strength is that it gains 200 ATK for each monster on your side of the field. That’s all right, but Melodious Fusions have much more powerful monster effects.”

Yuuma holds up the card proudly. “It gets its extra power from its friends, which makes it a card I want in my deck!”

Yuzu shrugs. “It’ll be good for practicing Fusion Summons, but maybe there’s another card you can add to your deck that’ll be more useful.”

“I collect Hopes,” Yuuma says, “so I need this one in my deck too. I’m sure it will come in handy at some point.”

If Yuuma were to compare his dueling skills to Yuzu and Yuuya, he’d say he was becoming stronger by dueling with them. But when limited to Fusion Summons, and by having only one Fusion card in his Extra Deck, Yuuma struggles to land any attacks. Yuzu’s monsters attack him before he can even get a chance to attack back, and Yuuya’s monsters are too strong and powerful for Yuuma to consider fighting against. 

Nonetheless, Yuuma can’t help but feel  _ happy  _ from this duel. He’s losing worse than any of his elementary-school duels and yet his heart has never felt lighter. He hears the duel chants and feels the energy, and sometimes, if he listens close enough, he can hear the duel monsters’ voices like gentle whispers on the wind. 

Yuuma listens to the world around him as he closes his eyes, brings his hands up, and cries, “The eternal bonds formed among the cosmos! Hear our thunderous hearts and amiable aspirations! Fusion Summon! Descend, Number 39: Hope Unity!” When Hope Unity appears, the field turns to gold: the skies burn red and orange over a sun kissed sea. Everywhere Yuuma looks, there is light.

Atop a pillar stands Yuuya. The sunlight seems to catch on his goggles and creates stars in Yuuma’s eyes. Starve Venom calls out to them, and at times seems to mimic Yuuya’s own voice; with a peaceful sigh, Yuuma falls back into Hope’s arms, and together they take the stage for another battle.With Hope, the world is warm. Yuuma hears the voices of his friends and duel monsters that call out to him, energetic, heart-pumping –

Yuuya’s fist goes right into Yuuma’s stomach and he keels forward, coughing. At once the warm, pleasant feelings are gone, replaced by the cold, hard floor on which Yuuma lies and the burning pain across his stomach. Yuuma blinks and looks around. Weren’t they dueling? The equipment is all turned off now, and both Yuuya and Yuzu kneel before him. Yuzu has a water bottle poised in case he didn’t wake up, and Yuuya now nurses his fist.

“You’re awake,” Yuuya says, giving him a firm shake.

“Yeah …” Yuuma says –

“What happened?” Yuzu asks. “What did you  _ do?” _

Yuuma frowns. “What do you mean? I didn’t do  _ anything _ – what did you …” Yuuma’s voice trails off as he realises that he, in an attempt to point at Yuuya, can’t. His arms and legs feel like lead, and in fact talking feels like a chore. Yuuma’s mind spins, sploshing thoughts and memories together. The last thing he remembers is dueling with Yuuya and Yuzu, nothing unfamiliar. He remembers hearing their voices, and the other voices were there too! Yuuma remembers the cheers and the laughter.

“Yuuma?”

He shivers involuntarily, the only movement his body can perform. “I can’t move …”

“You didn’t fall,” Yuuya says at once. “You were … well, I don’t know what you were doing. One minute you were dueling, and the next minute you’d keeled over. You went all white, and you looked like you were going to be sick. And then … and then you woke up.”

Yuuuma blinks. He feels his body ache, and with all his focus on one movement he manages to drag his arm forward. His senses seem to come to slowly: Yuuma hears the voices outside and feels more than the floor beneath him. His eyes focus on the colours of his surroundings, all muted and fuzzy still but Yuuma can catch Shuuzou on the phone, probably calling Kaito.

“‘M fine, Coach!” he calls out. “I just … something happened but I feel fine!”

Shuuzou nods mutely; he looks no calmer.

Yuzu takes both of his hands and holds them out. “Are you going to be able to get home, Yuuma? Can you even stand?”

“Give me ten minutes and I should be good to go. I promise; I’m fine.”

Yuzu does not seem convinced. “You should stay here tonight, or at Yuuya’s at least. You can’t expect yourself to take the train home in this condition.” Looking over her shoulder at her father, she says, “Either Kaito will need to come collect you, or you need to stay with one of us for the night. Please.”

With his arms feeling like jello, Yuuma shakes his hands free from Yuzu’s and attempts to cross his arms over his chest; it doesn’t work, and his hands crumple in his lap. “I don’t need all that babying. I’m fine. Worse has happened to me in school and they don’t let you go home from  _ that  _ –”

Yuuya shakes his head. “Yuuma, you’ll come back with me tonight.” Standing, Yuuya reaches out both his hands. “Here, take my hands. We’ll walk together, nice and slowly –”

“You’re going to  _ walk  _ home?” Yuzu says. “He can’t even stand.”

“I’ll carry him then,” Yuuya says. He grabs Yuuma’s hand, which through the numbness Yuuma registers as faint pinpricks along his palms, and pulls him upwards. Yuuma doesn’t feel anything, but his legs don’t hold him up; he tumbles forward and into Yuuya, who braces him with both arms under Yuuma’s armpits. “Here, help me get Yuuma on my back.”

“Honestly, just call a taxi,” Yuzu says. “One of you is going to get hurt from this.”

“We’ll be fine,” Yuuya says. In front of him, Yuuma smiles; the muscles in his face seem to be the only ones working correctly, though he can now feel Yuuya’s arms around him and the heat of his friend against his back. When Yuuya steps, Yuuma’s feet drag forward. It doesn’t seem to work until Yuuya decides to click on Yuuma’s heelies, in which case Yuuma is rolled in front of him.

Outside, Yuuma catches every pair of eyes on them as Yuuya weaves them through crowds and down to the suburbs. Yuuma’s legs hold him upright by some miracle, but he lets himself be guided by Yuuya. Gentle hands are braced against his sides to keep him in place.

“So I didn’t fall …” Yuuma says. “I don’t even remember what happened.”

“You were dueling just fine,” Yuuya says, “and then you just dropped during the duel. You were breathing and everything, but you wouldn’t come to. That’s when Yuzu went to get Coach, who was going to call the ambulance when you woke up. Has this happened before, Yuuma?”

Yuuma shakes his head. He considers his next words carefully: “Could this be a side-effect of Entertainment dueling?”

“No,” Yuuya says far too quickly, tugging Yuuma down a side-street dotted with driveways up to the tall, skinny townhouses of Maiami’s suburban district. “I know what you’re getting at, since you’ve read those investigation reports of the MCS, and no, it’s not Entertainment dueling.”

“Do you know what it is?” Yuuma asks. He opens his mouth to add, “Is it like when you hear the duel monsters?” but he holds his tongue when Yuuya shakes his head.

“The heat must’ve gotten to us, right?”

It’s a blatant lie that Yuuma will believe. “Sure!”

When Yuuya’s house is in sight, they slow down and glide to the front steps. Yuuma remembers visiting Yuuya’s house late at night when the last trains had already left; seeing Yuuya’s house during the day is a pleasant surprise. There is space between the houses that Yuuma can’t imagine ever seeing in a busy city like Heartland, and the quiet, complacent atmosphere of the neighbourhood suggests Yuuya lives far away from the shopping districts.

There are dainty blue steps leading up the front door. Yuuya knocks once before entering. “I’m home!” he says, kicking off his shoes at the  _ genkan  _ and toeing them to the side. Yuuma, with enough strength to move, bends down to unloosen his own shoes, which he tries to brush to the side. All of his movements seem jerky and unfamiliar; simple pinching and grabbing tags seem to be impossible for his clumsy fingers.

“This must be what being drunk feel like,” Yuuma muses just as Yuuya’s mother appears in the doorway, eyes wide. She looks first at Yuuma, then at Yuuya, and finally at both of them at once in a way that makes Akari’s big-sister-glare seem like a gentle look. Yuuma doesn’t remember ever meeting Yoko before, but from conversations with Yuuya and Yuzu he’d expected her to be a rather mild-mannered woman.

She is not.

“Drunk?” she says, one eyebrow rising.

“Whatever happened made my body feel all numb,” Yuuma continues. Yuuya throws a hand over his lips after that, cheeks red as tomatoes.

“Yuuya –”

“There was an accident at You Show,” Yuuya says, throwing one hand up to stop his mother. “He’s not hurt anymore, at least I don’t think so, but Yuuma here can’t go home on his own –”

And then Yoko is lifting Yuuma up, pulling him through the house – past the living room and kitchen – and into the family room, cosily decorated with a large, brown couch that Yuuma is pushed onto. She throws a blanket on him and wraps him up tight, and before Yuuma can even begin to get out of his confinement Yoko returns with a bowl of dumplings. “Dinner. Eat,” she instructs, shoving it into his hands.

“This wasn’t what I  _ meant,”  _ Yuuya says from the doorway.

“What he needs is food and rest,” Yoko says. “Nothing cures the body better than a little bit of self-care.” 

Yuuma opens his mouth to agree, but the dumplings in his cheeks keep him focused. The food tastes delicious: handmade, lightly-spiced, and very filling. Yuuma remembers hearing from Sora that Yuuya’s mother makes delicious pancakes, and he wonders if he could ask her for such a thing. However, she seems to  know best: once the dumplings are gone, she returns with a small dish of pickled vegetables to cleanse his palate, and then she brings over tea.

“You can stay as long as you need to,” she says, refilling his plate with bits of fresh fruit and slices of tamagoyaki, all which Yuuma devours. “What happened?”

“He, uh, fell,” Yuuya says, stealing a piece of tamagoyaki.

“Fell?” Yoko repeats. “And no injuries?”

“More like collapsed,” Yuuma says, far too cheerily for the topic. “I’m fine now - just fine. But yeah, I woke up and my head was spinning. It felt like I wasn’t me for a moment.”

“How silly,” Yoko says, eyeing Yuuya in a way that makes Yuuma think he’s left out of a private joke. He opens his mouth to ask them, but Yoko beats him to the next words: “Do I need to call your family, Yuuma? Does someone need to know where you are?”

Yuuma bites his lip. If he calls his house, his sister will figure out where he is. Up until this time, he’s lied to her that he’s at Shark’s or Kaito’s. “I need to call my best friend. He’s better at talking to my sister than I am …” Yuuma knows he can’t lie, but Yoko and Yuuya still believe him. They let him make the phone call from his D-Gazer. Apparently Kaito had already heard from Shuuzou about Yuuma’s accident and had been quick to blame Entertainment dueling; however, Kaito also tells him that he’ll call Yuuma’s house and cover for him, which Yoko and Yuuya  _ definitely  _ hear and still say nothing about.

Yoko makes them more tea and snacks and leaves them to watch TV once she’s assured that Yuuma will not be passing out on the couch. There are different channels in Maiami than in Heartland, so when Yuuya passes the remote to him, Yuuma spends the next few minutes scrolling through everything and trying to make a decision despite his mind being elsewhere.

“We don’t have to watch TV,” Yuuya says after a moment.

“I do want to watch! I just …” Yuuma swallows. “What happened when I was dueling? Why did I pass out?”

“That doesn’t happen,” Yuuya says. “You probably just got too hot or something. I promise, Entertainment dueling doesn't have that effect on people –”

“What kind of effect does it have?”

Yuuya looks away. “When … when I was Zarc, I could hear my monsters. I could hear their voices, and I could hear my counterparts’ voices. Everyone was there, cheering, yelling – it was like a ringing in my ears.” Yuuya shuffles back on the couch, still not meeting Yuuma’s eyes. He looks up at the ceiling and says, “Sometimes, and promise you won’t tell anyone else this – not even your friends in Heartland – I hear their voices again. Sometimes I hear my monsters, or my counterparts –”

“I do too.”

Yuuya shakes his head. “It’s not like a dream, Yuuma, it’s real –”

“I  _ know,”  _ Yuuma says, “and I hear them too. When you summoned Starve Venom, I heard someone’s voice. It sounded like yours, kinda, and it was too quiet to know what the person was saying, but they were talking. I could hear them too.”

Yuuya nods. “You heard Yuuri.”

“Can Yuzu hear Yuuri?”

Yuuya shakes his head. “You shouldn’t be able to hear him. If you’re hearing voices –”

“It’s  _ fine,”  _ Yuuma says. “Akari says weird shit happens to all of us –”

“ – there’s a glitch in the system,” Yuuya finishes. “If you can hear, I wonder who else has heard them? Can you … can you hear other voices?”

“Well I can hear my own monster’s voice, and it’s really clear,” Yuuma says. “When Hope talks to me, I know exactly what he’s saying. Your monsters talk, and I hear your counterparts, but I don’t always know what they’re saying. It’s like when you play with the volume controls on your D-Pad: it’s like white noise. And then Yuzu’s monsters don’t even talk, but they  _ sing,  _ and it’s never words but I always get what they’re trying to say.”

Yuuma continues: “And sometimes I hear other voices, that don’t even come from monsters but seem to come from inside me. Like when we fell together off the trapeze! I heard your voice and my voice and  _ so many  _ voices all at once, coming together –”

“Stop.”

Yuuma looks up. 

Yuuya is visibly shaking, arms having come up to hold him together like he might fall apart at any moment. His eyes are wider than the plates on their laps, mouth hung open to try and catch what little air there is in the room. Everything suddenly feels suffocating for Yuuma; he suspects Yuuya feels the same way.

“You shouldn’t be hearing  _ them _ \- you shouldn’t be hearing  _ me _ –”

“It’s not  _ bad,”  _ Yuuma says. “It’s just your voice, and … Yuuto’s?”

“Yuuto’s not with you though,” Yuuya snaps. “He’s not even with me. He’s inside his card, fused away for all lifetime. I hear him, but  _ you shouldn’t be able to.” _

At this, Yuuma shrugs. “Maybe that’s a glitch in the system.”

Yuuya flinches. “There’s no glitch. Yuuma, when we were on that trapeze together, what you did …”

And then Yuuma hears what Yuuya is saying, even if Yuuya might not be aware of his own implications. Yuuya has told him many times of how he’s just a counterpart to Zarc, and that when Ray rewrote time she sent away the others. For Yuuma though, ‘becoming one’ with someone happened through the powers of Zexal. Yuuma remembers the feeling of becoming with Astral, fusing and synergising their energy to create new life. 

“That’s the power of Zexal,” Yuuma says. “In the moment two distant souls cross over, the legendary power will come forth. That could mean us, right?”

“Ze … zexal?” Yuuya says.

“It’s an ancient power, something that only souls from different worlds can accomplish. Astral and I did it, but to do it with someone from another dimension … We almost formed Zexal.”

“Is it dangerous?” Yuuya asks, leaning closer. “Is that what’s going to happen when we duel? We’re going to  _ fuse together _ like some otherworldly creation?”

With some of his strength back, Yuuma flips himself sideways. “Zexal is the ability to become one with someone else! It’s nothing bad, no! Overlaying – which is what happens when you bring monsters together, just like you can bring souls together – is like being together with someone. Some souls have more power when their strength is combined. Like … like when Zarc became one with all of his counterparts –”

“That wasn’t a good thing, Yuuma,” he growls. “It drove us all mad to be together, and Ray had to unwrite and rewrite the world to keep us separate –”

“That’s  _ wrong,  _ Yuuya. You told me something different at Academia.”

Yuuya flinches.

“Overlaying isn’t like a perfect merge. It’s like togetherness. When Astral and I overlayed, our souls came together, but it wasn’t like we were the same. Everyone’s a little bit different.” Leaning closer, Yuuma says, “If we duel together, maybe we’ll overlay.”

“We shouldn’t,” Yuuya says. “If you’re hearing voices, that means my counterparts are still  _ here,  _ and you’d be overlaying with all of them too –”

“And we’d be overpowered! Imagine overlaying with five people –”

Yuuya bumps noses with Yuuma, just so he can stare straight into his friend’s eyes. Yuuma doesn’t pull back, but he catches snatches of anger and sadness in Yuuya’s eyes, not the expressions he was expecting from this conversation. Yuuma had thought Yuuya would be excited at the prospect of overlaying, but now Yuuma feels guilty for bringing it up, and upset that Yuuya won’t agree to this. Yuuya has to agree for Zexal to work.

“We can’t overlay,” Yuuya says. “That won’t work here –”

“But the Parallel Worlds are just like Real Solid Vision, I bet, so it  _ would  _ –”

“Yuuma, stop. I like this idea, and I like you, and if you overlayed with me, you’d end up fusing with everyone. When Ray rewrote time, she didn’t fix anything for us. There’s still four other me’s left raw and hurt somewhere in space, unable to reach me or the others. There’s four other Yuzu’s too, but she’s even less aware of her counterparts than I am of mine. The fact is that this rewrite did as much harm to us as it did to the other dimensions: we’re all shattered and lost. If I formed Zexal, all those counterparts would come together again. The last time we all became one, the worlds nearly fused together in a terrible mess. We  _ can’t  _ do that again.”

“But you told me you wanted to find your counterparts! And I want to find them too!”

“I  _ can’t,”  _ Yuuya snaps, suddenly on his feet. His expressions softens at once, eyes glimmering with unshed tears. He reaches up to pull at his goggles, which he only manages to tug over one eyes before he says, “That’s a silly wish that won’t ever happen.”

Yuuma’s head spins with the new knowledge, and then he remembers what’s happened since then, particularly what got him thinking last time. “Did Akaba-kun tell you that?”

Yuuya stiffens. “Reiji?”

Yuuma nods.

Yuuya crumples back onto the couch at once. His arms and legs still feel unstable, but he attempts to crawl across the couch. Yuuma knocks down his plate and hears it clatter to the ground; he knocks off Yuuya’s too, an accident he tells him, and then tumbles against Yuuya’s side. “Does Reiji-kun remember too?”

Yuuya nods. He starts to cry again – Yuuma feels Yuuya’s tears drip from his cheeks onto Yuuma’s, but doesn’t pull away – and then he pulls his goggles down in full. Yuuma always wondered what the goggles were for, but he hadn’t supposed they were meant to hide Yuuya away, like a clown’s mask that covered the true emotion. Yuuma can’t see how Yuuya is feeling with his goggles on, yet he can  _ feel  _ Yuuya’s sadness emptying itself in the room, clogging every possible space. If Yoko is nearby, she stays away. She lets her son be sad. 

With a smile, Yuuma realises that perhaps Yuuya’s mom and his sister aren’t so different. Akari lets him be sad too.

“It’s OK to be sad,” Yuuma says. “Sometimes I’m sad too.”

Yuuya shakes his head. His tears still manage to slip through the goggles and land on his hands, Yuuma’s hands, their hands together. Yuuma holds tight in the only ways he knows how.

“I don’t know what Reiji said, and maybe he’s telling you something different, but I know that breaking things apart doesn’t solve everything. Ray fused the dimensional worlds together, but she must’ve forgot to fuse  _ you  _ back together. Let’s try and find your counterparts then –”

“It’s not like they can be found. They’re …”

Yuuma shrugs. “We’ll find them. Maybe they won’t come back with us, but at the very least we’ll give it a try. Astral, without a human form, can’t exist outside of his own world. That doesn't mean he’s gone though; I hear him from time to time.” With a chuckle, Yuuma adds, “If my sister knew I was hearing things, she’d ban me from dueling right away.”

“Your family still doesn’t know you’re here?” Yuuya says.

Yuuma shakes his head. “It’s for the best.”

Yuuya nods, sighs, then lifts off his goggles. His eyes are red and tear-stained; his cheeks have thick marks from where the rubber of the goggles rested, contrasting with the rest of his skin which is only tinged pink from crying. “Your shitty friend Vector said that once, and now I can’t unhear it.”

Yuma laughs. It sounds like something Shark has said, probably over something minor. Yuuma likes Vector though: sometimes, things aren’t right, sometimes they aren’t even OK, but they’re for the best.

“Vector gives good advice,” Yuuma says, “even when he doesn’t listen to himself.” Snuggling next to Yuuya, he says, “If you feel sad, you don’t have to smile through it. Just be sad. You can be happy at another time.”

Avoiding Yuuma’s words, Yuuya says, “What would happen if we formed Zexal?”

“Our souls would come together and a new lifeform would be born, or something equally cheesy like that. I think Zexal’s different depending on who you do it with, and maybe it’s not even Zexal unless you do it with Astral, but … When we fell together, I almost did it.”

“Would we have to fall again?” Yuuya asks.

Yuuma shakes his head. “It just … happens. Astral and I got the hang of it later, but at first we sorta just collided into each other because we’d been separated, and overlaying just felt so natural. We need to be in the Parallel Worlds though, which means in an Action Duel. We can’t just do it right now.”

Yuuya laughs, and when he looks down again Yuuma realises just  _ how  _ close they are, and how close Yuuya has gotten. The space between them narrows until Yuuma closes his eyes and lets him rise up the rest of the way to Yuuya and, ever so gently, touch his lips to Yuuya’s.

His eyes flick open at the same time as Yuuya’s, and they don’t pull back, too frightened from it, but they hover millimetres from each other. Then Yuuya leans forward again, hands rising up to brace Yuuma’s forearms, and he kisses him slowly and steadily. Yuuma follows the rhythm; like a dance, he adjusts his head and body to match Yuuya’s. He’s never kissed  _ anyone  _ before so whatever happens is a primal instinct.

When Yuuya pulls away, Yuuma lets himself fall back into the couch cushions and take the deepest breath yet. His heart races and his mind spins, and at once he can feel everything in his body.

“You forgot to breathe?” Yuuya asks, chuckling at Yuuma’s exaggerated breaths next to him.

“That’s my first time,” Yuuma says, blushing. “I was just following you, and you didn’t breathe either.”

Yuuya chuckles. “That’s my first time, and I was still breathing.” Yuuya slinks down further into the couch, burying himself under the blankets and next to Yuuma who can’t seem to escape from the cushions even with his arms and legs finally moving. “Yuuma?”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s form Zexal next time. What’s the worst that can happen?”

From the way Yuuya says it, Yuuma laughs outright. “Don’t make it sound like a bad thing. Not everyone can form Zexal together - it’s not like a Heartland special-power. When you form Zexal with someone, it means you trust them with your entire being. I guess it’s because being in Zexal is so intimate that you wouldn’t want to be doing it with just everyone.”

“That means you trust me,” Yuuya says.  

“I trust you with my soul, Yuuya. When the tournament starts, let’s show them the bonds forged between the dimensional cities. We were never separated, and these duels will only bring us closer together.” 

Yuuya hums next to him. After a moment more, he looks up and laughs. “We should probably get off the couch unless you plan on sleeping there. My mom’s probably set up another bed for you – she loves having guests over – and since your friends have already called your house, you don’t need to travel back on the late-night train.” Yuuya stands, then reaches back down to grab hold of Yuuma’s hands and pull him up. Yuuma feels his legs wobble from the impact, but he takes several steps forward and none of them knock him back to the ground.

They take the stairs slowly up to the room. Yuuya’s room is pristine, but his desk overflows with papers and charts from the upcoming tournament. Yuuya explains that Reiji has been researching different worlds in an attempt to get more Action Fields available for the tournament. There are photographs of places around the dimensional cities, as well as futuristic ideas of what could be possible with Solid Vision. 

“This tournament is going to be the biggest spectacle in the world,” Yuuya says as he helps Yuuma down to the futon. “Every news station will be broadcasting it, and Reiji even wants several of the major duel arenas to show the footage on the big screens to bring duelists together. It’s more ambitious than any other Leo Corporation tournament, rivalling even the major competitions back when Duel Monsters was just being invented.”

“If we formed Zexal, everyone would see it,” Yuuma says. 

Yuuya nods solemnly. “We’d light up the world in smiles.” He crawls over Yuuma and up onto his bed, where Yuuma sneaks him taking off his goggles rolling under the covers. When Yuuya is comfy, he lies at the edge of his bed and looks down at Yuuma. His entire presence seems to radiate warmth and happiness.

“Yuuya, I want to keep dueling with you. More and more, I want to duel with you and be with you, and if we overlayed and became one, that would be really cool too.”

Yuuya smiles down at him, eyes crinkling at the corners. “I’d want that too.”


	15. Get Ready! The Start of the Tournament!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> congratulations! we're now halfway through the fic! >w<  
> also i recently realised that i never included the art and fanmix that goes along with this fic. please check out the link at the beginning of the fic to see all the wonderful art that was created for this fic!! <3

The day of the tournament, when Yuuma’s heart threatens to tear from his chest and his hands shake with excitement, Akari decides to have a talk with him. Yuuma has noticed over the past few days that Akari has been particularly suspicious of his whereabouts; when he came home from Maiami after spending the night at Yuuya’s, Akari had asked him if he planned on spending every night out of the house. It was a short jab at Yuuma’s consistently busy schedule, backed up by a remark of, “I never even see you at home anymore.”

In part, it’s true. Yuuma can’t remember the last time he had dinner with his sister or grandmother. If he’s out of the house, he stays until the moon is high in the sky and he has to sneak through his bedroom window to get into the house. If he’s home for the morning, Gran is usually out shopping, and Akari is busy working.

“I’m  _ busy,”  _ he tells her over breakfast. “School sucks, and Vector and I are studying extra hard this semester.”

“Oh really?” Akari says, and just by the lilt in her tone Yuuma feels his stomach sink.

She knows something. 

Perhaps she doesn’t know  _ everything,  _ especially not the more dangerous details like Yuuma’s fall in duel school, or his trip to City and Academia. Maybe she knows that he’s enrolled in duel school and has just been letting it slide until something bad happened. Maybe she just clued in that Yuuma shouldn’t be talking about school when it’s summer break, and therefore his lying  _ must  _ mean something. Wherever her anger comes from, it makes Yuuma’s hands sweaty. 

“You’re out of school though. Did you really get that much homework over the break?”

“Well, not all of it is school studying,” Yuuma jokes. “Vector and I have been playing RPGs and video games, and if the clock isn’t right in front of you I swear hours go by in the span of minutes –”

“Don’t lie,” she hisses, voice low.

Yuuma swallows. “I’m not lying …”

Akari crosses her arms and settles down across the table from him. “You miss an hour every day from school, as your teacher let me know yesterday. You skip class in the afternoons, make it home at god-awful hours of the night  _ or morning  _ from staying out late, and some days you’re even missing your morning classes. You’re out all day, always at Shark’s house or Kaito’s house, yet it seems to take you forever to get home if you’re actually trying to sleep at night. Yuuma, what is going on?”

“Nothing’s going on, Sis,” Yuuma says, clasping his hands together. “I’m just hanging out with my friends.”

“Bullshit,” Akari growls. “Your friends take better care of you than that. They wouldn’t let you exhaust yourself, going god-knows-where after school.” Crossing her arms, Akari says, “Yuuma, tell me where you’re going.”

“It’s none of your business,” Yuuma answers. 

“ _ Yuuma!”  _ Akari says. Her hands hit the table and send tremors to Yuuma, who, with wide eyes, looks away. “Look at me! If you’ve gotten yourself in trouble –”

“I’m not in trouble,” Yuuma says at once.

“You’re skipping class, so you’re already in trouble. What could possibly be so important that you’re giving up your  _ life  _ for this?” She narrows her eyes at him. “Are you dueling?”

“No!”

“Are you and all your friends going out and dueling together?”

“No, that’s not what’s happening –”

“Tell me the truth, Yuuma!”

And Yuuma doesn’t. He wrenches himself up from the table and storms off, taking his D-Pad and D-Gazer with him. If Akari wants to guess where he’s going, then fine. Let her. He has places to be and a tournament to prepare for, and he needs to head over to Maiami so he, Yuuya, and Yuzu can submit their applications. The matches last until the evening, when all preliminary duels will be complete and the semi-finals can begin. Yuuya had told him the finals would be the following day, meaning that once again Yuuma will be out of the house and away from Akari.

Of course, if she turns on the television, she’ll see him dueling. Yuuma isn’t worried about that though. Maybe the best way to let Akari know is to show her how strong and confident he’s become.

Akari doesn’t pull him back.

Before Yuuma heads to the train station, he goes to Kotori’s house to pick her up. Everyone else had complained that the trip was too long to make and the hotel costs too expensive for them to stay in Maiami, despite Yuuma insisting that Yuuya’s mom would let them all crash at his place. The only person who had agreed to come was Kotori. If Yuuma thinks back to any other time he’s gallivanted off into the unknown, often for dueling, he realises that Kotori has  _ always  _ been with him. She is like his compass, pointing him in the directions of peace and victory.

She also tells him, upon opening the door, that he looks like a trainwreck. “Did you even brush your hair?” she chastises. “You look like you ran out the door.”

“I  _ did,”  _ Yuuma huffs. “Big Sis was being mean and nosey, and she wanted to know why I’m out so much. I’m  _ fourteen  _ now; I can be out past my bedtime.”

Kotori smooths out the wrinkles on her summer dress and adjusts the large, woven hat balanced precariously atop her head. Her hair is down, and her favourite bow is instead wrapped round her sunhat. “She’s still your guardian though, isn’t she? That gives her some rights on what you can and cannot do. Really, Yuuma, you should just tell her where you’re going.  What’s the worst that can happen?”

Yuuma steels Kotori with a lackluster stare, then rolls his eyes. “I dunno, Kotori, maybe she’ll just make me quit duel school and never let me see Yuuya again. Maybe she’ll take away my train card so I’m stuck in Heartland forever, so even if the dimensional cities are connected again I’ll never be able to leave here.”

“You’re overreacting,” Kotori tells him. “How do you know what Akari-san will do?”

“Because she’s done it before. Kotori, she knows I’m missing class and that I’m going out dueling. She’s going to see me dueling – Entertainment dueling, no less – on the TV, and she’s going to see me in Maiami, and then I’m never going to be allowed to duel again. These next few days might be my last time to see everyone.”

Kotori grabs her camera and her wallet, both which she tucks inside her purse, and then with a firm tug leads Yuuma out of the house and down the street. “You’re overreacting,” she tells him again. “Akari-san might be mad, but she’s not going to ban you from dueling. She did that last year, but since she knows about what happened at the WDC and during the Barian Invasion, I think she’d be OK with you travelling to Maiami.”

“She wasn’t OK when I first told her about it, and now she’s going to find out and she’s going to be  _ mad _ .”

“That’s why you shouldn’t lie.” She looks over at him and frowns. “You got yourself into this mess, Yuuma. You might as well try your best in this competition to show her how much you love dueling, and hope that whatever apology you can give her will grant you her forgiveness. Just …” Kotori smiles at him. “Until then, do enjoy yourself. Everyone in Heartland will be rooting for you.”

Yuuma nods and flips open his deck case. “I’ve been working on this deck for ages, but I think it’s complete.” Most of the cards are similar, but there are several new Hopes and Traps that Yuuma has slipped inside. His most important card, ‘Hi-Five the Sky’, he holds up for Kotori. “My counter-attack. This is sure to get me out of any pit, and with it I should be able to win any duel.”

Kotori smiles at the card. Her fingers run over it, admiring the holographic design of a boy jumping into the sun. Behind that card is one that she is unfamiliar with, and which she holds up for Yuuma to see. “What’s this?”

“Polymerisation? It’s for Fusion Summons.” Yuuma opens up his extra deck and fans through his cards until he finds Hope Unity. “This is the only Fusion card I have, but it’s strong enough that I want to keep him in my deck. Worst come to worst, if I don’t want to Xyz Summon I can Fusion Summon instead.”

When they get on the train, Kotori suggests they practice dueling; even though she won’t be participating, she still brought her deck. They exchange decks to shuffle; all of Kotori’s cards are protected by thin, green sleeves that keep them from bending or tearing. Once the decks are shuffled and cut, they both draw five cards and examine them.

From her backpack Kotori pulls out two six-sided die. “Roll to see who goes first?”

Yuuma nods. 

Kotori rolls an 11; he rolls a seven.

“You go first,” Kotori tells him.

Ten minutes later, Yuuma smacks down one final attack with Hope Ray; Hope Unity stands back, having already attacked. Kotori’s deck is strong, but Yuuma catches onto her weak points and blasts away her defenses. Unlike Yuuya and Yuzu, Kotori doesn’t have any competitive, pro-League decks. She has Fairy Cheer Girl, but her deck is still unbalanced, and without enough level four cards in it she can rarely Xyz Summon or Chaos Xyz Summon her ace monster. 

“Is this proof that you’re going to win the tournament?” Kotori says after her second loss.

“No, your deck just isn’t good enough - no offense.”

Kotori slaps down three cards in her Spell/Trap zone. “Offense taken,” she mutters.

By the fourth duel – and Yuuma’s fourth win – Yuuma stops trying and begins to relax on the duel. Rather than duel to win, Yuuma lets back on his offense, and tests out his combos and Summons. He and Yuuya have done this before, particularly after Yuuya has wiped the floor with him as many times as Yuuma has done to Kotori, and it always seems to lighten their mood and readjust the rhythm of the room.

When Kotori plays her cards, Yuuma only hears snatches of voices. Her monsters seem to murmur to the winds that Yuuma struggles to hear. It isn’t until Kotori plays her ace card that Yuuma hears a voice, soft as a butterfly and strong as a bird. It’s not Kotori’s voice though, but a girl’s, calling to him and Kotori through Fairy Cheer Girl.

_ Thanks to you, I’ve come to my senses!  _

Yuuma looks up; Kotori doesn’t seem to hear it, or if she does she is good at hiding her surprise. The phrase is repeated like a chorus to a song Yuuma has heard in a dream, and he imagines a warrior calling this to her comrades. He imagines telling Yuuya this - letting Yuuya know just how much he means to Yuuma, how much his friendship has helped Yuuma. Yuuma wonders if Yuuya would know of the Fairy Cheer Girl’s voice – is this one of Yuuya’s friends?

“Yuuma,” Kotori says, waving her hand in front of his face, “are we still dueling?” 

“Yeah, we are – uh, one second!” Yuuma sets one Trap and one card, then waits for Kotori to make her move. On his field, Hope seems to be telling him a story of duelists who came together to defeat a great evil. In Yuuma’s lifetime, any great evil he’s ever faced has been fought against by valiant heroes who came together to bring justice and prosperity. As Hope calls out to him, Yuuma feels a sense of peace wash over him.

Yuuma delivers the final blow, once again sending Kotori’s life points to zero.

“You still have it in you,” Kotori teases. “And if you are stuck, just remember you have the Yuuma Advantage –”

“It’s  _ kattobingu,”  _ Yuuma corrects. “The power to never give up.”

Kotori chuckles. “Well I meant the power to draw whatever card you need to win, which vaguely sounds like topdecking if I’m not mistaken.”

Yuuma’s ears go red. “That’s the magic of a Shining Draw, but I can’t do any of those without forming Zexal, and …” He falls silent. “Kotori, if Zexal is the coming-together of distant, trusting souls, doesn’t that mean I could do it with anyone? Even someone from  _ here?” _

“By here, do you mean … like Heartland and Maiami? I guess, if the magic will hold and there is a connection to the Parallel Worlds. But you told me that Zexal comes from only the strongest of bonds, so you’d have to like – maybe even  _ love  _ – someone so much to form that connection. Besides, you won’t be tag-dueling with anyone, will you?”

Rifling through his pockets, Yuuma plucks out a folded, slightly-torn brochure from the Tributed Duelists event. “It says right here that the semi-finals match together the top four duelists; the winning duo then go on to fight each other. Yuuya said it’s because Reiji wanted to honour the relationships formed between duelists with one match; rather than match off the remaining four duelists into two separate matches, duelists will have to work together before they take each other on for the final duel.”

Clearing his throat, Yuuma says, “Yuuya and I plan to make it to the semi-finals so we can duel together, and then we’ll duel each other for the winning place.”

“And this has to do with forming Zexal how?”

Yuuma’s cheeks go red, and suddenly his hands become much more interesting than meeting Kotori’s golden eyes. “Well,” Yuuma says, drawing the words out on his dry tongue, “if Yuuya and I tag-duel, we’d be together, right? And that would mean we … could  overlay –”

“Overlay?” Kotori says, leaning over the table. Her response shocks Yuuma; he wheels back, surprised, hands going up in defense before he rights himself and leans back towards her.

“It’s not  _ weird,  _ Kotori! We’re friends, and I bet if we both tried it, it would work. Yuuya’s as close to me as Astral was despite living far away, and so it should work.”

Kotori, however, can’t seem to grasp onto Yuuma’s words. “You’re going to overlay, with Yuuya, on national television where everyone will see you. Your sister will see you, Yuuma! How are you going to answer  _ that?” _

“I’ve overlayed with Astral on national television and everyone saw!” Yuuma retorts. “And I’m sure Sis saw that, and she knew about Astral, and she knew about the Barian Invasion. This is how I’m going to tell her about everything: about You Show and Entertainment Dueling and Yuuya. Sis isn’t going to listen to me unless I already do it and she has to agree to it –”

“Or she’s going to ban you from going to duel school.” Kotori folds her hands before her, steeples them to rest her chin on them. “I’m worried for you, Yuuma.”

Yuuma smiles through the worries. “Have hope, Kotori! When Sis sees me glowing on the stage, she’ll let me keep dueling. I have to stay positive, or else there’s no chance of me seeing Yuuya and Yuzu again, right?” Blinking back tears, Yuuma says, “I have to enjoy every moment of these next duels because they might be my last.”

The train lurches forward to warn passengers that they are slowing down to enter the Maiami station. Yuuma and Kotori pack up their decks and take their belongings; being in the back, inside one of the train cars, leaves them squished between other families who also took the private cars. The two children squeeze between passengers to get out. The sunlight blinds them as soon as they enter: the Maiami Central station is in open-air, and sun pours through every opening in the roof or walls. It’s also  _ busy  _ at this time despite the train ride being pleasantly quiet. Yuuma and Kotori push by even more passengers on their way towards the edge of the platform, where they have a chance to catch their breaths.

When Yuuma looks up, he sees Yuuya, tucked to the side with one leg up against the wall and both hands behind his head, looking casual and comfortable in perhaps the flashiest outfit Yuuma has ever seen him in. Yuuya’s orange shirt and jacket-turned-cape rival Yuuma’s pants with  _ flames  _ on them and his new, bright green t-shirt that reads, ‘Born to make Dueling History’. Yuuya sees him too, eyes falling on the t-shirt, and his face splits into a wide grin.

“You made it!” he calls out. “Yuzu said you’d be late, but I  _ knew  _ you wouldn’t miss this for the world! He clasps Yuuma’s hand and brings them together for a hug that knocks the  _ life  _ out of Yuuma, a hug that seems to draws their souls together. Yuuma’s mind runs to when he and Yuuya were lying on the couch together, and his cheeks heat up. Behind Yuuya, Yuzu stands with a knowing smirk on her cheeks. Yuuma hadn’t told anyone about what happened that night other than Astral, who Yuuma knows can keep a secret, yet Yuuma suspects Yuuya told Yuzu. Yuuma would’ve probably told her too.

As Yuuya lifts his head from Yuuma’s shoulders, Yuuma hears him call out, “Mizuki-chan! You made it too!”

Kotori nods. “Not as a duelist, but I’m here to cheer Yuuma on! He’s the only participant from Heartland, right?”

“Yep! Dennis is registered as an Academia duelist, but everyone else is from here. Reiji is a bit disappointed that the tournament didn’t work out to the fullest despite our broadcasting in other cities, but this is still a good turnout!” Kicking out his heelies, Yuuya says, “Should we go then?”

The walk to the stadium is under blue skies and fluffy clouds; a gentle breeze rustles the trees around them and cools down the midday heat. Yuuya and Yuuma skate at the front, doing laps around one another as they practice their moves. Behind them, Yuzu and Kotori discuss the minor differences between dueling in Heartland and Maiami, including the use of D-Gazers and holograms. 

“D-Gazers make it so you can duel at all times, any time,” Kotori explains, “and the duels don’t disrupt daily life. If you don’t have your D-Gazer on, you might miss a heated match. Because of this, you can’t have you D-Gazer on when you’re biking or driving –”

“You don’t drive and duel?” Yuzu asks. “That’s the standard in the City.”

Kotori shakes her head, and says, “It would be distracting for drivers to be looking at the holograms fighting above them. If there were designated roads, which Yuuma has told me the City has, then it would be safer, but it’s dangerous for drivers to be focusing on dueling.”

Yuuya appears interested in this conversation too, so while the girls continue to discuss the legalities of motorised dueling, Yuuma skates close to Yuuya, nearly bumping into him, and holds out his D-Gazer. It is a simple, red design that clips behind his ear like a pair of glasses, only taking the lens shape of a single monocle. Yuuma has seen newer designs in department stores, and he’s considered getting a Duel Tattoo like Kaito and the Arclights, but until then his first D-Gazer does the job.

“Everyone wears one of these?” Yuuya says, taking the device and flipping it around in his hands. There are no buttons – ever space of it is computerised and programmed to activate when the duelist blinks or stares at the little screen, and more precise controls are available through connection with the D-Pad.

“Every duelist in Heartland has one, unless they have a tattoo.” When Yuuya raises an eyebrow in confusion, Yuuma shows him a picture of Kaito in one of his duels, jumping with both arms raised to spike an attack with Galaxy Eyes. The blue of Kaito’s Duel Tattoo glows in the twilight field. “It’s just for dueling though; the D-Pad here” – Yuuma pulls out his duel disk and holds it out for Yuuya, careful not to bump heelies with him – “is much more versatile. It’s got internet connection, BlueTooth, hard drive space, and even apps! I can play games on this thing – watch!”

As they nearly skid into a group of locals on their way to the city centre, Yuuya rights Yuuma. “We’ll check it out when we’re not moving,” he says with a laugh. 

Within the next minute, the street opens up to a long, narrow bridge out to a floating building, its round structure seeming to cut open the blue ocean itself. The bridge is busy with duelists coming to watch the tournaments; no cars are able to drive down it, and Yuuma and Yuuya even have to put away their heelies in case they bump into someone. 

At the end of the bridge stands the stadium. It is easily the size of Heartland Academy, built with a spherical design that makes use of obtuse angles and wide corners; the building seems to expand outwards like a balloon, and the rises up to touch the fluffy clouds. However, instead of being encircled by hallways that would then lead into the many levels of the building, Maiami Stadium has one hallway that tracks around the base of the building; above, there are netted sheets of metal that keep the building standing even in the worst of winds.

“It’s massive!” Yuuma cries, pointing at the building. “It’s as big as school and maybe more, and – wait, how do you even get  _ up  _ there?”

“Elevators,” Yuzu answers. Yuuma squints to see them, and Yuzu adds, “Inside the building. Maiami Stadium is based off Academia’s design, so there are internal elevators that lead up to different areas of the building depending on the type of access pass you have. As duelists, we should have access to the first three levels … at least, that was the access last time.”

“Should be the same,” Yuuya says. “Those levels have the duel preparation rooms, registration, duel services, and lounges. Anything higher up is for officials, security, and management staff. I’ve been up there before to see Reiji, but it’s not really for us.”

Towards the end of the bridge, the crowd thickens as attendants badges are checked and pointed in the direction of duelist or spectator. Yuuya says that Reiji had meant to have separate entrances for the different attendants; however, staffing had been a pain, and with such a small turnout for the tournament it hadn’t seemed necessary. Thankfully, as the crowd clears a bit Yuuma sees a line for duelists that takes them to the end of the bridge, where event services staff are directing people.

“Duelists, please show your registration forms,” the officer says.

Yuuya reaches into his backpack and pulls out the forms. He hands them to the officer, who scans over them with a blue laser to ensure no forging or copying. When he looks up, he points at Kotori. “Where’s hers?”

“She’s my friend, “ Yuuya says, “but she’s coming with me.”

Yuuya hands over another piece of paper: Permission to Bring a Guest, a paper Reiji had given him in case Sora planned on coming. However, Yuuya had told him Sora had gone back to Academia for a bit and wouldn't be joining, so Yuuma had filled out the form for Kotori. 

The officer scans this paper too, and then hands them back with a nod. “Pass.”

Yuuma lets out a cheer before he – or Kotori – can cover his mouth, and Yuzu shuffles them all along, saying, “This can’t be your first tournament – what’s with all the extra excitement?”

“This is just  _ regular  _ excitement!” Yuuma says. “I’m going to be  _ dueling  _ in a  _ tournament  _ with my  _ friends!  _ How much better can it get?”

With a laugh, Yuzu pushes open the doors to the stadium. “We haven’t even entered yet.”

If the outside had Yuuma’s head spinning, the inside makes his heart leap with joy. The ceiling is wide open to the world, letting in sakura petals and ocean breeze. There are jumbo screens above the general area where Yuuya can see news stations reporting on the upcoming tournament. Inside the stadium, there are tourist shops, duel monsters shops, and food courts stationed in every available opening. The centre of the main room is taken up by a large statue of four grand, dichromatic dragons circling around a great spire upon which four thick, gemmed bracelets lie.

“That’s new,” Yuuya says, pointing to the statue. “Reiji had it built after the war. It’s … sentimental.” 

It is also a good place for people to sit by and rest. The air seems heavily populated, and by some magical energy  attendants nearby seem at ease. 

“Those are the dimensional dragons, aren’t they?” Yuuma says. He pushes past people to stand on the base of the statue, ignoring how he almost steps on someone’s dress and bumps into another person’s handbag. There are gems pressed into the spaces where the dragon’s eyes would be; the rock is chipped and carved away to make scales, talons, and wrinkles. The rock upon which the dragons balance is sanded down to a smooth finish, and the bracelets seem to hang – despite being attached and chiseled out of this great piece of stone – around its circumference. 

“Do you still have your bracelet?” Yuuma asks Yuzu.

“It shattered when … when everything went back to normal.”

Yuuma touches the crystals; there appears to be trapped energy inside it. Even though Yuuma has never seen the bracelets on any of the girls before, he imagines Yuzu’s is the pink one at the top. Only vaguely has Yuuya told him about the other girls - Serena, Rin, and Ruri – and as Yuuma runs his fingers over the gems, he tries to imagine what these duelists might’ve been like. He tries to imagine them as duel princesses protecting their dimensional cities. With a sad chuckle, Yuuma realises that nowhere in Heartland is there any memorial of their efforts.

“Are you going to keep staring at that all day?” Kotori asks. “Come on - you need to get properly registered.”

Yuuma hops down from the statue and follows Yuuya and Yuzu, who have already begun to make their way to the left wing; there are signs up ahead pointing attendants towards the main stadium, towards the food courts and shopping districts, and (for duelists) towards the registration area. The event services worker at this station takes their registration papers and files them away. She then holds out her hand.

“Deck, please.”

In a long, methodical process, the worker goes through each of their decks and ensures that all cards registered are present, and that no cards are missing or added. She also examines the cards themselves, checking for holographic stickers and correct font. Yuuma doesn't remember ever going through such strict security during the WDC, though perhaps Mayor Heartland should have taken a page from Reiji’s book and tightened the security for registration.

Once their decks are checked, they are handed back to the duelists. “Cards cannot be switched from your decks, or else you will be disqualified.” She then hands them holographic badges attached to lanyards.

“Just flash these when you are entering pink or purple security zones; you are still restricted from entering green or yellow zones. Your duel pass also lets you access the food court free of charge; Akaba-san asks that this privilege is not abused, or it will not be used in the future.”

Leaning in, Kotori whispers to Yuuma, “That means no inhaling everything in the food court.”

Yuuma’s cheeks grow red.

Next, the event services officer presents them with timetables. “This is the schedule for the tournament. Please be aware of when you are dueling and be down at the dueling field thirty minutes early. Officers will be checking your deck once again before you duel. By Akaba-san’s most recent Action Duel rules, no weapons will be permitted on the Field; wheeled shoes are allowed.”

Yuuma pumps a fist.

“As junior youths, if you are not at the Field prior to twenty minutes before your duel, an event services volunteer will come and get you from the waiting lobby. If we cannot find you there, a message will be broadcasted through the arena looking for you. Finally, we will call your personal number here. Please do not be late.”

Yuuma can’t help but feel Kotori’s eyes on him for every warning from the person, and he rolls his eyes. He’s not going to be late for something this important.

“Any questions?” the officer asks. 

Yuuma points to Kotori. “Can my friend come with me?”

The woman grabs a lanyard from the table, a bit different from Yuuma’s with a large, pink band over one side. “This is for friends and family of registered duelists. Each duelist gets two. This will give you access to the lobby and  food court; again, please do not abuse the privilege.”

Yuuma leans in to Kotori and whispers, “That means no inhaling all the food.”

Kotori pushes him away with a groan.

“This badge does not give you access to the private duel rooms and to the duel fields, which are located in the purple zones. Please be aware of this when travelling with your fellow duelists.” The woman folds her hands together. “Any further questions?”

They all shake their heads.

“Glad to be of assistance.” She steps to the side and swings open a gate to the restricted areas of the arena. “Just pass through here and take the second door on the right - that will take you to the duelist’s lobby and where you’ll be spending most of your time during the tournament.”

Yuuma is the first one through the gate, and at once he clicks open his heelies to skate down the hallway. Unlike the crowded attendant lobby, this area of the arena is quiet and empty. It is nonetheless lavishly decorated with pictures and medals from past duels and competitions. Yuuma spots medals for the MCS and he puts his nose to the glass to examine them more closely. There are eight of them in a row, all looking rather militaristic and old-fashioned.

“They look like war medals,” Kotori says. “Like in our history textbooks …”

“Well, these are the medals given to the duelists who went on to fight in a war,” Yuzu says. 

Above the eight medals are eight portraits. Most of the duelists are smiling, holding out their ace cards or showing off other medals dangling around their necks. Yuuma recognises Yuuya’s picture and he chuckles.

“You didn’t tell me you were famous here too?”

Yuuya’s cheeks grow red and he ducks his head. “I forgot Reiji set this up - a memorial for the Lancers, only we’re all still alive …”

Yuuma’s eyes travel across the photos, spotting friends from Yuuya’s home videos. He notices the other girl, the one who looks so much like Yuzu, but before his mouth can form words, Yuuma sees Reira. Reira’s hair is down, his hood tucked neatly across his shoulders. She has the brightest smile as she holds up both her teddy bear and her medal.

“Reira-kun was a Lancer in the war, right?”

Yuuya nods. “Reira might not tell you about what happened, but she was important in reviving Ray and stopping Zarc. This picture … this is one of the first photos anyone has of Reira with his hair down.”

“It’s a good picture,” Yuuma says. “Everyone looks happy here.”

“We all survived,” Yuuya says. 

“Were you not a Lancer, Hiiragi-chan?” Kotori asks. “That girl looks a lot like you, but that can’t be you … You’ve got different hair colours.”

“Most people don’t notice that difference,” Yuzu says with a laugh. Sobering, she continues: “That’s Serena. I was in another dimensional city for most of the war, but there were times I was reunited with my friends.”

At once, Yuuya stops the discussion. “Why don’t we get set up and settled in the lobby? We should also hit the food court too before anyone starts dueling - you can’t be hungry while dueling!”

Yuuma wants to keep talking about the Lancers, but for Yuuya’s sake he lets himself be dragged through the second doorway and into another room, this one far more crowded and loud and filled with duelists and their families. The room is larger that Yuuma imagined, with high ceilings that allow for several balconies to rest above the general area. There are signs at every door marking what lies on the other side.

“Food first,” Yuuma says, blazing forward to push between people waiting on the benches and couches. The jumbo-screens overheard show the leaderboard and schedule of the duels; neither Yuuma, Yuuya, nor Yuzu duel in the first three matches. With a sigh, Yuuma realises he’ll be waiting around forever for the duels to get going.

“That gives you more time to prepare for the duel,” Kotori says. “You wouldn’t want to be the first one of the day, jumping into battle?”

“I  _ would,”  _ Yuuma corrects. “Instead I’ve got to stand around waiting for my turn. This excitement is  _ killing  _ me, Kotori! I want to duel already!”

“Time will fly by then,” she says. “In the meantime, we should eat and find a locker to put our belongings; according to this map, further down that hallway we were first in is a locker room where we can store our backpacks. As duelists and friends of duelists, we also have our own seating area in the stadium; we should try and get good seats there too.”

The cafeteria is as busy as the lobby: rows and rows of benches and tables are filled with duelists munching down on simple street food before the big matches. Yuuma makes sure to stack his plate as high as it will go, explaining to the others that he can and  _ will  _ eat all this, and that he needs his energy if he’s going to perform. 

“Besides,” Yuuma asks, “since when can you get endless amounts of takoyaki? This isn’t taking advantage of someone’s kindness; it’s making sure food doesn’t go to waste.”

They take up seats at the end of one of the benches. Yuzu, after hearing Yuuma say that food shouldn’t go to waste, piled her plate as high as his; they now look across the table at each other, grinning at their meals.

It is several minutes before anyone bothers to lift their heads from their plates to talk.

“Are all duelists here Entertainers?”

“Entertainment dueling is such a diverse practice,” Yuzu says, “so they may not seem like it, but everyone entertains the audience in their own way. Shingo and Dennis are performers, so their duels will be similar to mine and Yuuya’s; however, Gongenzaka is a steadfast duelist, and he keeps his feet on the ground at all times. He still finds a way to involve the audience in his match, but it won’t  _ feel  _ like the same Entertainment duels you’ve watched.”

Laughing, Yuuya says, “Wouldn’t it be strange if everyone dueled the same way? We don’t look the same, and we don’t even come from the same places, so why should we all be the same?”

The thought sticks with Yuuma as he finishes up his food. They take their plates back to a conveyor belt that feeds them through a dishwasher. Once fed, Yuuya suggests they put away their belongings and head to the arena to catch the first match.

“Masumi …” Yuuma says, staring hard at the name on the paper. “We saw her once, didn’t we?”

“On your very first day,” Yuzu says. “She’s a Gem Knight Fusion duelist. It’ll be great to see her.”

On the walk to the arena, Yuuma attempts to walk as close to Yuuya. Their fingers brush, but rather than pull away from the touch, Yuuya leans in, entwining their fingers and squeezing gently at Yuuma’s palm. The feeling creates sparks in Yuuma’s soul. Yuuma thinks about telling Yuuya that this might be his last few days, but …

Yuuma leans into Yuuya and sighs. 

For now, he’ll enjoy the company.


	16. I Can Hear It! The Melody of the Dimensional Dragons

(art by the wonderful [thetrainticket](http://thetrainticket.tumblr.com/) and posted with permission - please consider supporting her webcomics and art through [commissions](http://trainsart.tumblr.com/commissions) and/or [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/angelaflatt)!

* * *

Entertainment duels at You Show are different from Entertainment duels at the professional level.

Yuuma can state that much as he watches Masumi arc up above a gleaming, silver crystal protruding from the ground; she draws a card as she flies through the sky, and only flips just before she hits the ground to land on her feet. “I Summon Gem-Knight Alexandrite! Shatter your opponent across the field!” Masumi’s bold moves are complemented by her strong offensive skills: her deck is powerful and tough, built to bring out her ace monsters that can one-turn-kill the opposing duelist.

Yuuma has a hard time keeping track of the match though when pro-level Entertainers have such aesthetically-pleasing moves. Masumi dances with her monsters; their voices chime together, music to Yuuma’s ears that warm his heart. All around him Yuuma hears the voices of the monsters.

Thankfully, the beautiful movements of the duelists distract Yuuma from realising how  _ long  _ some of these duels become. With four duels until Yuzu’s turn, and with Yuuma’s being the seventh of ten duels for that round, it seems to take forever to get to the duels Yuuma truly wants to see. Yuuya tells him about the other duelists, many of whom he’s dueled in the past, but besides their flashy moves Yuuma wishes for nothing more than for  _ him  _ to get on the field already. He wants to duel, and he wants Yuuya and Yuzu to duel, and he wants to duel  _ with  _ Yuuya.

Next to him, Kotori sits eagerly watching the match. “I’ve never seen much movement in a duel before,” she comments.

“Actions duels are like exercise routines for duelists,” Yuuya jokes. “If you like it though, then the effect is working: Action Duels bring together duelists, monsters, and the audience.”

“I’m entranced,” Kotori says. “There’s just so much going on! Do … do duelists have routines?”

“Everyone has their own style,” Yuzu answers. “Like my style is music because I run a Melodious deck, so my routine as you called it would focus on rhythm and sound. My Summoning chants involve musical imagery, and depending on the Field sometimes I’ll tap my feet to the beat or hum to myself. How about you, Yuuya?” She turns to Yuuya, who watches the duel with bright eyes. 

Yuuya never takes his eyes off the field. “My routine? I’m an entertainer or a performer, so the field is my stage. I act: I dance and sing with the audience, drawing them into my own, personal show. In professional Action Duels, what you show is what the audience remembers: my performance techniques will be a bit more obvious in this tournament.”

“I can’t wait to see you duel then!” Yuuma says.

Kotori taps Yuuya on the shoulder. “And what about you, Yuuma? What’s your routine?”

The questions catches him off-guard. “My … my routine?”

“As an Entertainment duelist, everyone has one,” Yuuya says. “Besides, I’ve seen you duel before, and there’s definitely something special to your tactics –”

Kotori snorts; Yuuma’s cheeks redden.

_ “Well,”  _ Yuuma says, leaning back in his seat; in front of him, Masumi launches an attack at her opponent, driving another direct attack into the other duelist’s LP that sends him crashing back. “Well, I guess I am an optimist. I duel for hope and smiles, and for everyone to enjoy dueling, and enjoy it how they please. That’s my goal, my  _ kattobingu.” _

“Yuuma the Kattobingu Entertainer,” Yuuya says. “I look forward to seeing your duel.”

The duels seem to pick up after that, just in time to Yuzu’s duel against a Pendulum-Synchro duelist who Yuuya introduces as Gongenzaka. “That’s our classmate, actually. Funny how Yuzu got to duel him right away, though this ought to be a good duel. They both run hybrid decks - two-style at once – so their moves will be extra-special.”

Gongenzaka, Yuuma remembers, duels with his feet on the floor. Yuuya says it’s called Steadfast Dueling, which is taught only at the Gongenzaka Dojo. Leaning in close, Yuuya says, “There used to be many forms of dueling: cooking, martial arts, that sort of thing. However, when Ray rewrote time she made it so that everyone duels as entertainers. Maybe it was an ode to the last wish of Zarc, maybe she just wanted to see everyone smiling while dueling. However, Gongenzaka stayed because he was a Lancer and lived on past the rewrite.”

Yuuma looks to the field, where Yuzu’s graceful lunges are thwarted by Gongenzaka’s solid defenses. They are evenly matched despite the clear differences in their strategies.

“So only Entertainment and steadfast duelists remain,” Kotori says. “And no one … questions that? No one asks why there aren’t more?”

“Why would there be?” Yuuya asks. “Ray rewrote time so that everyone would only remember the magic and smiles of Entertainment dueling, so no one but us is going to ask,  _ What happened to the others?  _ Maybe the others remember, but no one wants to switch back. Entertainment dueling is special to all of us. We kept smiling even when we were hurt, and we brought peace and prosperity before Ray rewrote us back to the start, back before this all started. She rewrote our misery, but she also rewrote our success. It was her last wish.”

Yuzu lands one more hit with Bloom Diva; her monster cries out her attack, magic pulsing from her mouth that creates a wide beam. The beam then shoots down the length of the field, ripping up cement and earth before it knocks into Gongenzaka and sends him tumbling to the outer walls. His life-points drop to zero. Yuzu at 600 LP breathes a sigh of relief.

From above them a loud, energetic voice booms, “And that’s a wrap! Our fourth duel of the afternoon leaves Hiiragi Yuzu victorious! Congratulations, Hiiragi-san! You move on to the semi-finals!”

The crowd cheers as several multi-coloured spotlights shoot down on Yuzu. She waves and blows kisses to the energetic audience, and then heads off the field and through a set of double-doors within the walls of the stadium. Yuuma assumes that these doors lead back to the duelist lobby he was once in.

“Wait,” Kotori says, “how can there be semi-finals if, after everyone is matched up, there are ten duelists, and then a tag-duel?”

Yuuya flips open the schedule. “Only eighteen now - two contestants dropped out.” To Yuuma, he says, “You’re up soon if you want to head down already. I’ll be after you, so I can wait too.”

“Will you be able to watch me though?” Yuuma says.

“I’ll see your duel,” Yuuya promises. He holds out his fist, a bit awkwardly and unsteady. Yuuma catches on right away and holds out his fist. Then, with a cry of “Kattobingu!” from Yuuma, he crushes his fist against Yuuya’s and instantly regrets it. 

“Sakaki-kun, are you OK?” Kotori says, reaching out to see if his hand might be broken or bleeding from the impact. Seeing no such remarks, Kotori then turns on Yuuma, who cradles his hand to his chest. “Gods Yuuma, what were you  _ thinking?” _

“A little bit of motivation before our duels,” Yuuma supplies, smiling through the pain.

“Geez, you’re something else.” She holds out her hand expectantly, and Yuuma places his injured hand in hers. She touches it with her fingers; Yuuma knows that Kotori only knows about bones from the few biology classes they had together, so she can’t actually be able to tell if he’s broken his hand or not. Nonetheless, after a few moments, she holds her hands over his and says, “Your diagnosis is stupidity. Don’t do that again.”

Yuuya laughs outright.

“It wasn’t stupid,” Yuuma argues. “It was  _ motivating!” _

Kotori laughs. “Well come on then, oh motivating entertainer. Your duel’s coming up and you should try to be on-time for it. We should go find Hiiragi-chan too to congratulate her.”

They don’t have to walk for long to find Yuzu: for one, no matter how much time was spent designing the map for the tournament, they get lost within minutes; and two, Yuzu seems much better with directions than anyone else, so she finds  _ them  _ first and throws herself at them. “I won! I won!” she cries.

Yuuya catches her first, but Yuuma jumps behind her. With the extra weight, they tumble to the ground, everyone laughing and giggling. For a minute, all Yuuma can see is pink and green; then he looks up and sees the other duelist, Gongenzaka, standing proudly before them. “An honourable duelist I, the man Gongenzaka had the pleasure of battling with. I hope your next duels are equally inspiring.”

From within the tangle of bodies, Yuzu says, “You as well! It’s been a while since we’ve dueled - you should come to You Show more often.”

“I will remember this,” Gongenzaka says. “Yuuya, you will be dueling later?”

“Against someone from another duel school,” Yuuya says. “It’ll be interesting to duel against a duelist I’ve never even heard of before. His records are high though - it looks like he’s spent a lot of time overseas in the American circuits, maybe at an exchange school before he came here.”

“Exchange schools?” Yuuma asks. “There are duel schools around the world?”

“Of course there are,” Yuzu says, “but unless you’re a domestic student, the tuition to go to those is ridiculously high, even more than LDS. Only the richest of students could afford to do that, which means this kid might be a snobby brat –”

“Yuzu!” Yuuya admonishes.

“I’m just putting my opinion out there,” she snaps back. “Expect some trashtalking about how their prestigious overseas duel school is better than the local You Show duel school.”

Yuuma peeks over at the schedule. He hadn’t checked who his opponent was, but to his dismay he’s  _ also  _ against an overseas duelist from the same school - Saitama Preparatory – as Yuuya’s opponent. The duelists look excited; Yuuma doesn’t want to judge them before he’s dueled them. Yuuma will show them just how wonderful You Show is.

Once they get off the floor and wave goodbye to Gongenzaka, Yuzu takes them back down the dueling lobby, which is packed with anxious duelists either preparing for their upcoming matches or watching the jumbo screens for the next duels. There are no seats available, so Yuzu suggests they all squat on the floor while they wait. 

“How do you think the match went?” Kotori asks Yuzu. “You looked pretty confident out there.”

“Really?” Yuzu says. “I saw so nervous! Gongenzaka’s deck is  _ solid in defense _ and I thought I was having a hard time landing critical hits. I’m glad I looked confident though!”

“You were great!” Yuuya says. “Maybe we’ll duel each other in the semifinals!”

“Maybe,” Yuzu says. “You’ve got to win your match though! Do your best!”

At this time Yuuma hears an announcer’s voice through the room’s speakers: “Will both Tsukumo Yuuma and Atsuki Miyu please come to the doors marked ‘Dueling Preparation’. Your duel will start soon.”

Yuuma leaps to his feet, but before he can get far Kotori crushes him in a hug. “Do your best, Yuuma! We’ll all be cheering you on.”

“You can do it!” Yuzu says.

“Right!” Yuuya says. “Bring it to em - bring it to your shining smile!”

Yuuma high-fives each of his friends, smiling at the bubbling excitement in his stomach. His ‘Born to Make Dueling History’ shirt with its glittery letters glows in the light of the room. Yuuma struts across the room, feeling high and mighty as dozens of eyes follow him to the front doors. At the entrance, he presents his deck, D-Gazer, and D-Pad to the security officers, who proceed to check everything of his for malfunctions and glitches. They check his deck for missing or added cards before asking him to step through a scanner that searches his body for cards. 

“Really, all this security?” Yuuma jokes.

“Akaba-san’s orders,” the officers answers. He passes Yuuma’s deck through its own detector, perhaps checking for non-playable cards. Finally, Yuuma gets his deck back, only to have to go through more security measures. This time two officers sit him and his opponent, Atsuki, down in little chairs and explain to them the mechanics of the duel. 

“Akaba-san wants no surprises for either of you, so we want to ensure that you know what to expect while out on the field. Your Action Duel field has been pre-selected: you’ll be dueling in Xyz territory –”

“Yes!” Yuuma cheers.

Atsuki laughs. “We’re  _ both  _ Xyz duelists, only I duel Pendulum too. It might help the both of us, but I’ve heard you are a mono-summoning duelist.”

“I know how to Fusion summon too!” Yuuma says. “And what’s wrong with just Xyz summoning anyways?” 

Atsuki in their flip flops and boardshorts and t-shirt looks far too casual for Yuuma. In fact, Atsuki looks relaxed, sipping on a juice box just before they step onto the field to duel. Yuuma wants to believe that Atsuki is a passionate, kind duelist, but after the second jab at Yuuma’s own dueling record, Yuuma snaps.

“I was the WDC champion,” he states. “We’ll be an even match.”

“WDC?” Atsuki says. “Never heard of it. No matter …” They lean in close and  _ grin.   _ “I’ll enjoy clearing the floor with your monsters.”

_ Stay positive,  _ Yuuma tells himself.

“Let’s have a good match, Atsuki!”

The double-doors open to reveal the action field already activated. A maelstrom of pinks and blues spin together above them. The floor is solid earth, warm under their feet, and altogether reminiscent of being on another planet. Yuuma feels the gravity of this field take effect as he steps down; his body seems weightless, and when he jumps to wave at the audience, his leaps sends him hi in the sky.

“Hello, Maiami!” he calls.

The audience screams. 

“And there you have it, folks! Your first contestant of Round 7, Tsukumo Yuuma! He is the only foreign student in this tournament, travelling from Heartland City. Please give this duelist a warm welcome!”

The crowd roars with excitement. To the beat of their cheers and claps, Yuuma jumps and spins on the field, performing the same tricks that he and Yuuya once performed. Atsuki keeps their feet firmly planted until they stand on their side of the dueling platform; then they jump, flipping through the air, and two fireballs shoot from their hands.

“And here is your second duelist, Atsuki Miyu! They too have studied overseas, once studying in America. We expect great things from Atsuki!”

Yuuma catches Atsuki flinch at the statement, so he calls out, “We’ll just have a casual duel!”

Atsuki rolls into him; they spin together until Atsuki gains the upper hand and throws himself downwards, locking Yuuma to the ground. “We’ll be dueling competitively, Tsukumo. Don’t go easy on me.”

Yuuma laughs. “I won’t - I promise!”

Once Atsuki and Yuuma take their places, the announcer states, “LP is set at 8000 as per the most recent regulations. Card bans regulations are per most recent rules as well. Duelists, please take caution when performing. Leo Corporations is not responsible for injuries.”

A pause. Then Yuuma hears it, a melody that starts softly with the hum of the trumpets. Yuuma stands tall and proud as the national Action Duel chant blares through the speakers. Yuuma meets Atsuki at the middle of the field, and with a grin spins around the other duelist. “Duelists, locked in battle! Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters.”

Yuuma jumps; the ground gives out beneath him as he soars effortlessly through the air. He pulls Atsuki up with him, who, now that the music has begun, appears to be quite nervous. Yuuma faces Atsuki and whispers, “It’s OK if you’ve got a bit of stage fright. This feeling will pass. Just follow my lead.”

“They storm through this field!”

Yuuma and Atsuki lift off higher and higher into the sky, spinning around each other. Atsuki’s eyes are closed, their ruffly blue hair catching in front of a pair of deep purple eyes. 

“Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling!”

They descend, crashing to the earth in a series of twists and tumbles. With Atsuki’s frozen-in-fear attitude, Yuuma can’t perform quite the techniques that he and Yuuya could do, but Yuuma still makes an effort to put on a show. When they near the ground, Yuuma positions himself to land on his feet and braces himself for the impact. He lands with the gentlest of thuds on the low-gravity field. Atsuki follows after him, landing less gracefully with his arms pinwheeling behind him just to keep his balance.

“ACTION DUEL!”

Yuuma holds out his fist for Atsuki. “Rock, paper, scissors!” Atsuki wins, and they both leap back to commence the first round. Yuuma goes first, opening with a summon, a Special Summon, and an Xyz Summon. The ground cheers for each of his moves, and with each play Yuuma becomes more animated. As Yuuma Xyz Summons, he hears the voices of his monsters and the chant seems to come from within him: “I Summon the light at the end of the tunnel and the pinnacle of perfect happiness! Blast an arc of smiles through this hopeful world! Bring it to ‘em, Hope!”

Yuuma wonders if perhaps Reiji upgraded the Solid Vision system in preparation for this duel, for when Hope descends Yuuma feels like he’s in the presence of a  _ god.  _ His monster’s glow pierces every corner of darkness in the stadium, acting as a beacon of light illuminating the entire field. Likewise, Hope’s voice is clearer than ever: he tells Yuuma how happy he is and how proud he is, and the words only fuel Yuuma’s bubbling energy.

_ “That’s  _ your ace monster?” Atsuki taunts. His legs are visibly shaking, but his face is set firm in a frown. “You’ll need more than that to defeat me.”

Atsuki is also an Xyz duelist: in his opening hand they too Summons, Special Summons, and Xyz Summons. Their deck is a Heroic Challenger, similar to Gauche’s but also relying heavily on monster effects and spell cards to bring out their ace monsters. It’s a tactic Yuuma is unfamiliar with – he prefers Trap Cards to Spell Cards – but not something he can’t win against. Yuuma lunges several attacks, releasing his Xyz Materials to strike, but every time Yuuma  _ thinks  _ he’s won, Atsuki has a counter-attack in their graveyard that starts a new cycle.

“Your deck’s  _ hard,”  _ Yuuma says as he ends his turn.

“Professional decks are,” Atsuki says, trying to sound confident despite the waver in their voice. 

“You know, Atsuki,” Yuuma says, “you should enjoy the duel more. It’s OK if you’re nervous –”

“I’m not nervous!” Atsuki snaps, then bites their lip.

“We’ll just take this duel nice and slowly.”

Only Atsuki doesn’t calm down, and it bugs Yuuma more than it bugs him that he can’t seem to land a hit; that suddenly he and Atsuki are out-of-sync and Yuuma can’t manage to make them happy. “Come on, Atsuki! Relax a little.”

“I am relaxing,” Atsuki snaps. “Stop pressuring me.”

But the further they get into the duel, the more reserved Atsuki becomes. As the crowd cheers for each of Yuuma’s acrobatics trips, Atsuki only becomes more anxious. They turn as white as a ghost after the last of Yuuma’s attacks, only half of which hit. Yuuma wants to tell Atsuki to relax and calm down, to breathe and to get better, but none of that  _ helps. _

It’s drive Yuuma mad to think that he can’t solve this. 

It doesn’t help that Atsuki’s monster is also talking to him, crying in a low whine about its insecurities and difficulties. Atsuki’s sadness and anxiety appears to manifest in this great creature. Yuuma wishes more than anything else that he could interrupt this self-defeating monologue, but the voice seems to consume him too. Deep within Atsuki there is a passion to duel, but it is buried under a current of negative talk.

When Yuuma wins, only by a hairsbreadth because Atsuki is a valiant opponent, Atsuki stumbles off the stage. Yuuma dashes forward, calling out, “Wait, I want to congratulate you –”

“Leave me alone,” Atsuki says. “You  _ won.” _

“I want to celebrate with you though,” Yuuma says. “Even if you were scared, I felt your energy, Atsuki!”

“Leave me alone,” Atsuki repeats. They storms off the field, knees still wobbly and steps unsteady. 

Yuuma watches with a sad smile before the announcer shouts, “Please welcome your victor, Tsukumo Yuuma! He will be moving onto the semi-finals this evening!” The audiences claps and cheers drown out Yuuma’s thoughts of Atsuki until all Yuuma feels is his heart beating through his chest, wild as a river.

Unsure what to do next, Yuuma continues to wave at the crowd until an officer leads him off the field and through the double doors that take him back into the dueling lobby. Kotori and Yuzu spot him at once and take him to the floor in a massive, double-teaming hug. Yuuma sees stars before he can tell them, “You saw my duel, right?”

“Every single turn,” Kotori says. “You did great, Yuuma!”

“Did … did my sister text you?”

“Akari-san wouldn’t send me a message if you were in trouble,” Kotori explains, “but no, she didn’t text me. Why? Were you expecting her to be watching?” 

“Maybe,” Yuuma says, looking away. “She likes dueling, and if Akaba-san is broadcasting this tournament dimension-wide then she’d be able to see it.”

Yuzu lays a hand on his shoulder. “It was a good duel, so let’s hope that she saw it!”

The screen blinks on again, this time showing Yuuya and a foreign opponent standing opposite each other. The other duelist looks a bit older and taller, but his lanky form also betrays that he appears to be going through a growth period where the rest of him has yet to catch-up with his noodle-like appendages. 

Yuuya stands tall though. He’s changed, Yuuma realises, into an outfit far more colourful and exuberant: a rainbow-coloured pair of pants that poof out around the legs and a red vest cinched tight with three hippo pins under which lies a darker, form-fitting t-shirt. He raises his hands and calls out, “Ladies and Gentlemen! Here is your entertainment!” 

The lights of the Action Field spark and shimmer across a tall cityscape illuminated by a large, white moon. Yuuya’s feet make multicoloured sparks wherever he steps; recognising this only makes Yuuya move more. His opponent is far more reserved and his movements unsteady, but Yuuya still makes an effort to perform with his fellow duelist.

Unlike Yuuma’s duels, or any of the other duels Yuuma watched today, Yuuya’s duel is over before it starts - a series of back-and-forth rounds that only chips away at Yuuya’s LP while knocking out his opponent’s. Yuuya doesn't seem too interested in winning though: he plays and laughs, enjoying the moment while it’s still there.

What Yuuma does pay attention to is the voices of his monsters. Yuuya brings out Clear Wing, a Synchro dragon that Yuuma has never seen before. This time, Yuuya hears another boy’s voice, young and free and  _ snarky. This game’s in the bag, I can already tell! Go for it, Yuuya! _

Yuuma remembers the Synchro duelist as Yuugo. Who was Yuugo when he was still living, when he was both his own person, a piece of Zarc, and a counterpart to Yuuya? What did Yuugo’s duels look like?

At the end of the duel, Yuuya bows low to his opponent, to his monsters, and to his audience. The crowd goes wild, chanting his name over the sounds of the trumpets. In turn, Yuuya drops his hands and two rainbows shoot up from the ground, spinning and twirling before coming together to form a sun. 

“To the duelists who bring hope and smiles!” Yuuya calls out.

Within Yuuma, his heart skips a beat. Yuuya’s words reach him even when he can only see him from the computer. 

When the duel ends, Yuuya is ushered back into the dueling room, and is promptly tackled by both Yuuma and Yuzu. Yuuya laughs as he lands on the floor among them, struggling to catch either of their eyes. “Hey, I just won! Congratulate me, don’t tackle me!”

“This is far better,” says Yuzu, coming to sit up on his stomach. “You get all the praise and recognition.”

“It was such a good performance!” adds Yuuma. “I’ve never seen such a dramatic duel!”

“If you’re into dramatic or theatrics, we’ll need to watch Dennis. He’s at the end – haven’t seen him all day though – and he puts on quite the show too!” Yuuya sits up on his elbows and tries to wiggle out from under Yuzu. “The duelist I was against was strong too. His style … it was all about mind games and talk. Entertainment really is about what you bring with you onto the field.”

Feeling quite warm and comfortable, Yuuma leans into Yuuya, carefully bringing his arms around him. The contact is nice – good even – and Yuuma leans in for more.

“Off the floor now,” Kotori says, “or else we’re going to be blocking the way. Come on, let’s go find some place to rest until the semi-finals.”

“Are they decided already?”

“They are,” Yuzu says. She points to a jumbo screen on which a scoreboard is kept. Next to it is a graphic with each of the character’s photos lined up for each match; the winner moves up the chain, while the loser’s picture goes gray and stays put. As the seventh contestant, Yuuma’s opponent is ... 

“Yuuya.”

“You won’t be dueling each other after all,” Kotori says, looking away. “I’m sorry, Yuuma –”

“It’s fine,” Yuuma says at once. “I’ll just ask Akaba-san to rearrange the duelists so Yuuya and I have different opponents, and then we’ll be able to duel each other. It makes no sense to have this so organised; he’ll randomise it for us.”

“That’s not going to work.” Yuzu points at the screen. “These matches have been decided from the moment all duelists were registered. Reiji won’t change the match-ups just because you want to duel with Yuuya later. I’m sorry, Yuuma, but it looks like you’ll be dueling early.”

Next to him, Yuuya looks down. He looks equally dejected, red and green hair dipping forward to mimic his sadness. “Yuzu’s right, Yuuma. Reiji isn’t going to change this –”

“We can hope –”

“It’s  _ not  _ going to work. This is something that can’t be changed, but … but that doesn’t mean we should be so upset about it. We’ll duel each other - an actual duel to determine who moves on to the finals.”

Yuuma nods, still feeling heartbroken over the idea of dueling  _ against  _ Yuuya. However, Yuuya’s words do have some truth to them: Yuuma has to take this duel seriously. He has to show Yuuya right then and there how he truly feels. If his sister’s watching, then she’ll see too. The whole world will see him and Yuuya, star-crossed Entertainers born to make dueling history. 

Yuuma sticks out his hand. “I, Tsukumo Yuuma the Kattobingu Entertainer, challenge you, Sakaki Yuuya, to a duel.”

Yuuya clasps his hand. “I, Sakaki Yuuya the Egao Entertainer, accept your challenge, Tsukumo Yuuma.”

They shake on it, then take their seats until the final matches are complete. Yuuma has a hard time focusing on anything but the thoughts of dueling Yuuya that spin in his brain. He’s dueled Yuuya before, but never in a tournament or a competition. He and Yuuya have always dueled for fun, sometimes even making up their own rules to go along with their wild ideas. 

_ This won’t be any different then,  _ thinks Yuuma, and he drags out the last of his happiness until he takes the stage again. None of the duels seem to capture his entertainment as the thoughts churning in his head. Yuuma wonders if he’ll be able to beat Yuuya. He’s never done it before, and Yuuya’s deck surpasses his. Yuuya will probably win on the first turn.

After a grueling quarter-final, Yuuya and Yuuma are the first duel of the semi-finals. The round starts immediately afterwards; a half-hour before their duel, they head back through the doors together. At once they are separated: Yuuma is pushed into another room where he can’t see Yuuya. An officer checks his deck, D-Gazer, and D-Pad once more for malfunctions, speaking to him in words that never reach Yuuma’s ears.

Yuuma’s ears search for Yuuya. He listens for him on the other side of the walls; he listens for the beating of a heart in sync with his. When the guard shows him the playing field, Big Tent, it only makes Yuuma yearn for Yuuya. Their duel together is now a match to determine who moves on as the top duelist.

Standing before the door out to the field, Yuuma tells himself,  _ I’ll show you a duel - a duel made of hope and smiles! _

The double doors swing open to a field of colours. There are lights affixed along the beams that build up the big tent. The fabric is red and white, but as colours hit the sides of the tent they reflect in the white stripes. Yuuma throws both hands up as a spotlight hits him. On the loudspeaker, the announcer calls, “Tsukumo Yuuma, Heartland Champion!”

The crowd goes wild with applause.

“And against him” – another spotlight appears across the field – “Sakaki Yuuya, Maiami Champion!” A flurry of applauses  break off the announcer’s comments. Only when it dies down does the man continue: “Duelists, prepare yourself!”

Yuuma leaps over the three steps to the dueling field, where he takes his place across from Yuuya. The dueling grids appear in his D-Gazer, but as soon as he meets Yuuya’s eyes, he steps out of the boundaries and sails across the sky. 

“Duelists, locked in battle!” 

Yuuya spins after him, meeting him at the second ledge overlooking the battlefield. Yuuma grabs Yuuya’s hands and together they catch the trapeze that spins them over the audience; their legs tangle together with the force of their movement.

“Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters! They storm through this field!”

Yuuma flips himself forward to land on a higher platform. He nearly loses his balance until Yuuya is next to him,  _ with him,  _ and the presence lifts him up to steady land. They clasp hands against before the crowd.

“Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution in dueling!”

They fall, catching themselves only by fate that lands them successfully on their feet. They bow, first to the audience and then to each other. Yuuma locks his deck into place and sets up the final mechanics of his D-Pad. He meets Yuuya’s eyes.

“Action Duel!”

Yuuma goes first, a tactic that only he sees as useful. His hand is good - trap cards and monster cards, and enough materials to Xyz Summon on his first turn. When Yuuya goes, he makes an opening play to Pendulum Summon, but doesn’t press further.

Yuuma grins. “Holding back?”

“Making the star play,” Yuuya tells him, fanning out his cards for Yuuma to see.

On his next turn, he Xyz Summons. A large vortex appears before his monsters, which then become Xyz Materials that are sent into the void. From there bursts a monster with stained glass wings. Yuuya calls out, “A soldier that never backs down, a rebellion that never ceases! Hear the beauty of our hearts coming together! Descend! Rank 4, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!”

Yuuma hears Yuuto’s voice; it crashes through the Xyz dimension and into the big tent. Yuuto sounds angry and hurt and passionate, and when his monster cries Yuuma hears Yuuto in its roars. Dark Rebellion attacks with the strength of a squadron heading into battle, and even with Hope’s ability Yuuma doesn’t stand a chance.

_ I hear them,  _ Yuuma thinks.

Yuuya doesn’t end there though. The next turn he Synchro Summons Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, and Yuuma hears Yuugo, rambunctious and confident as he strikes down any defense Yuuma throws up. His placed trap cards save him from Yuuya’s attacks.

“Having fun with my monsters?” Yuuya says, smiling atop Clearwing. He holds onto the monster’s horns as if he is riding it.

“I’m just getting started,” Yuuma says.

Yuuma Chaos Xyz Summons Hope after that, which brings him close to Yuuya’s level of overpoweredness. He scales two floors before he attacks, dropping down to crash on Yuuya and his monster. Once again Yuuma feels the pull between them, but before he acts on it his feet accidentally catch on the trapeze and Yuuma swings away to land on an opposing platform.

Yuuya comes to him next. He jumps onto the trapeze and swings momentarily before landing next to Yuuma.

“Ready?” Yuuya asks.

Yuuma nods.

They jump at the trapeze.

Only their hands touch and Yuuma feels something burn within him. Rather than let go and fall to his death though, Yuuma holds tight and leans in to embrace the feeling. It is warm next to him, a gentle ember glowing in the moonlight. Clearwing and Dark Rebellion become small specks at the corners of Yuuma’s visions as he falls with Yuuya, becoming closer and closer.

The next thing Yuuma sees is his hand slipping  _ into  _ Yuuya, growing boiling hot as they meld together. Stardust appears from Yuuma’s wrists that now slide into Yuuya, as if he is being absorbed. Yuuma feels his soul shift from the contact and he pulls back. _ This isn’t how we come together! This isn’t how we become! _

But the magic draws them together and they spin on the trapeze, arms meeting arms meeting bodies that become one in a vortex of light. 

Yuuma sees blue and purple and pink and red, and the colours hit him back but don’t separate him from his soul falling against Yuuya’s.

With a sigh, Yuuma slips forward. He forgets the duel and the tournament, and his monsters and Yuuya’s monsters.

Yuuma forgets everything that his hands can’t hold onto. 


	17. Yuuya's Counterparts?! Introducing Yuuto, Yuugo, and Yuuri!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to those who celebrate it, Merry Christmas!! this isn't a festive update or anything, but it's certainly sweet enough >w<

The world is every colour before Yuuma’s eyes.

Yuuma comes to to a world illuminated by twinkling stars similar to his own, with a futuristic and utopian feeling. There are no O-Bots or schools or other unpleasant, Heartland things; instead, there are offices and corporations and laboratories that Yuuma can see with his godlike vision. He looks through every room at once, seeing every minute happening in this world.

However, Yuuma doesn’t have control of the godlike vision. He sees all at once until his mind focuses down on a laboratory in which a man and girl rest, the girl looking far too much like Yuzu. She stands before a tabletop keyboard, fingers hovering over several buttons that glow with a gentle, blue light. It looks like Kaito’s office only cleaner, and perhaps like Reiji’s office if Yuuma could imagine that Reiji’s methodic planning also meant he was quite a tidy person. 

Which brings Yuuma to the other person, a man much older than the girl and appearing to be her father. He looks older than Yuuma’s own father. Grey lines create the shapes that make up his tired face; he looks at peace though as he sits across from the girl, hands together.

And then the picture is gone and across the city Yuuma sees the dueling stadium with a boy riding a duel monster, so similar to Yuuya. He smiles to a crowd that chants. “More duels! More duels!” The boy obeys: he knocks out opponent after opponent. Oddly enough, the crowd fuels his dueling: the more excited they clap, the more animated the duelist becomes. He sails across the field to meet his opponent halfway –-

Yuuma gasps as if he’s been dunked underwater. 

He wakes up inside a place so dark and twisted that he shivers and curls up tight. The walls are black and mottled like bruises; everything is both cold and hot, and the changes in temperature are unsettling to Yuuma. The first thing he does is try to wish himself back.

_ Bring me back to Yuuya. _

A voice chuckles low in his ear. It is then replaced by a finger lingering on the top of his ear. “You are with Yuuya. Your wish brought you two together.” The voice comes closer. “You are  _ inside  _ Yuuya.”

Yuuma swallows. “That’s not what happened.”

“Your wish, wasn’t it? To be  _ with  _ Yuuya? We are with him, are we not?”

Yuuma shakes his head. “This isn’t Yuuya’s soul room –”

“You’re right!” the voice quips. Lips against Yuuma’s cheek, the voice says, “You’re in  _ our  _ soul room.”

Yuuma spins around at once. The room is clear.

“Yuuri, isn’t it? Come on out! You’re here, aren’t you? You’re with Yuuya too, aren’t you?” Yuuma crawls across the murky floor, ignoring the unease settling in his stomach. He is with Yuuya – all of Yuuya.

“I want to meet you,” Yuuma says. “If you’re a part of Yuuya, then I want to know more about you. Even if we’ll never meet again, at least come out now.”

From across the room Yuuma hears another voice, this one Yuugo’s and louder than anyone else. “Yeah Yuuri, how come you’re hiding? Stop acting all weird and get out.” And with that Yuugo appears, dressed in a white race suit with one red stripe running up his calves and disappearing under a white jacket, also with a red stripe. The complete suit appears aerodynamic and sleek; it hugs Yuugo’s frame. 

What catches Yuuma’s eyes is Yuugo’s hair, blue in the back and yellow in the front.

His hair is quickly covered by a white cape, which flops over Yuugo’s head.

“Hey, who was that?”

“Be decent at least,” Yuuto quips. His dark jeans and ripped t-shirt are far more unsettling, only enhanced by his menacing stare across the bruised room. Yuuto, too, wears a white cape that settles over his shoulders and hides his hair, though even in the dark Yuuma can still catch specks of purple bangs.

“Yuuto,” Yuuma says. He looks between both counterparts and rubs his eyes. “It’s … it’s  _ you!” _

“Who?” Yuugo says, crossing his arms.

_ “You!”  _ Yuuma repeats. “You … Yuuya’s said he had you! He did! You were here all along - you were!” Stepping forward, Yuuma says, “Where have you been?”

“Who’re  _ you?”  _ Yuugo asks. “I think  _ we  _ should be the ones asking the questions here.” Yuugo closes the space between them in three strong, confident steps. He’s taller than Yuuma and makes himself quite large with his cape. Leaning close, Yuugo asks, “How’d you get in here?”

“I …” Yuuma pauses. “I was dueling –”

“Against Yuuya?” Yuuto asks.

Yuuma nods. “We were together, and dueling. We’re in a tournament, you see, and when we were dueling we sorta came together.” Yuuma claps his hands together. “It was like that, only I’m not awake, am I?”

Yuugo shrugs. “You could be. Yuuya’s never talked to us before, but if he could hear us, he’d probably still be awake. It’s not like someone’s gonna knock him out just to come here –”

Yuuto sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Yuuya  _ hasn’t  _ talked to us. We’re not even sure if we’re in Yuuya, so don’t go spilling silly theories. This kid will drink them up faster than you can spit them out.” Turning to Yuuma, Yuuto says, “However you got in here, it should take you back out. You’re not supposed to be here, especially not when Yuuya is away.”

The corners of Yuuma’s lips turn down. “But Yuuri said we’re in Yuuya …?”

“None of us know what’s going on,” Yuuto says, “so you can’t believe any of us, but you  _ definitely  _ shouldn’t believe either of them. We’re all a part of Yuuya, but none of us have seen him in so long. Who knows if we’ve ever been close to Yuuya –”

“But you must be!” Yuuma says. His hands fumble on his deck case attached to his hip. From within it Yuuma pulls out cards, holding them out to the counterparts. “I hear the voices of duel monsters! These aren’t your monsters, but when Yuuya summons those dragons, I hear  _ you!  _ You must be somewhere close to Yuuya or else I’d never hear your voices –”

“You hear us?” Yuuri’s voice says, echoing around the room. “All of us?”

“I think so,” Yuuma says. 

From the shadows Yuuri appears, swathed in another white cloak. His royal purple attire matches the pinks-and-purples of his hair. His bangs rise up to meet above his head like antennae. “If you can hear the monsters, does that mean there are more of you too?”

“More of me?” Yuuma repeats.

“There are  _ five  _ of us,” Yuuri says. “I assume dear Yuuya’s told you about Zarc and us counterparts. Now, how many of  _ you  _ are there?”

“There’s just me,” Yuuma insists. 

Yuuri’s face splits into a sickly grin, sharp teeth visible underneath thin lips. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure!” Yuuma says. “Look, I just want to get back to Yuuya, and back to you too! If you don’t know where we are, can’t you just help me?  We should all be back home …”

At this, Yuugo laughs. He throws his arms behind his head and leans back, still laughing to himself. “We’re here because the world reset without us. Are you bound away too? Did Ray split you all up and separate you? You’re not one of us, but maybe you’re something else –”

“I was  _ dueling  _ Yuuya when this happened. Nothing bad happened. It was nice even! It was like …”

_ It was like forming Zexal.  _ The warmth and happiness and connection seems real now as Yuuma remembers being with Astral, and now being with Yuuya. They had been together on the field, kicking the cosmos and dancing alongside the world, when Yuuma lost consciousness. At that thought, something burns within Yuuma. He looks down at his body, now glowing red in the dark room. No longer do the shadows seem menacing: speckled stars appear on the floor and walls. 

“We’re forming Zexal!” Yuuma says. He reaches out to grab Yuuto’s hands - not only is he tangible, but he’s  _ warm,  _ so like Yuuya. “Come on, we can meet Yuuya! We just need to meet his soul - we need to come back together!”

Yuuto tries to pull his hand away. “Whatever that is, it won’t work.”

“I’m not gonna glow,” Yuugo adds.

The power of Zexal sparks. Red light scatters across them, filling the room with joy. Yuuma sees in Yuuto’s eyes a passion form, and his hand slacks just enough for Yuuma to draw his closer. With his other hand he reaches out to grab Yuugo’s hand. 

“Hey, what are you –” Yuugo starts to say, but the magic spreads to him and his face softens. “This is …” he starts to say.

“The power of Zexal,” Yuuma says. “It’s an unbreakable bond between souls, even split souls. It’s a miraculous power with the ability to create miracles.” 

Yuugo’s eyes flicker blue. “Hey, cabbage head!” he calls to Yuuri. “Get over here.”

Yuuri sniffs. “I’m not joining your prayer circle –”

Yuuto growls, “Isn’t it always you that wanted to become one? Don’t you want to see Yuuya again?”

Yuuri’s hands slap against his counterparts. With the three of them together, led by Yuuma, light surges through the room. The bruises explode in sunlit bubbles that tear apart the dreary fabric of the room to a newer, better room so familiar to the warmth of Zexal. Yuuma holds as tight as he can to Yuuto and Yuugo’s hands, but as he tumbles through the hazy area, his hands seem to lose their feeling. His eyesight blurs until all he can see are distant shapes; his ears only pick up comforting murmurs.

_ Yuugo! Yuuto! Yuuri!  _ Yuuma calls out.

Something reaches out to him, brushing against his fingers. Yuuma leaps forward after the soul, catching the other being by their fingertips. Though his eyesight blurs, Yuuma pulls himself closer until the world erupts yet again in red and green light. Yuuma’s soul slips into the other’s which morphs and glow with newer, brighter colours - red and blue and purple and pink and  _ gold. _

“Yuuma! Yuuma!”

A hand shakes his shoulder and Yuuma opens his eyes to Yuuya, frantically standing over him. With each passing second Yuuma feels the aches in his body appear, starting at his legs and ending at his neck. Everything hurts. His eyes adjust to the harsh lights of a medical room. There are stretchers and monitors stationed around the room; the one Yuuma lies on is dressed in a  white sheet and covered in several wires that poke into him or attach to his chest, arm, and head.

“You’re awake!” Kotori says next to him. She leans over the bed and takes his head in her hands; his eyes take a second to focus on her, particularly on the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Oh gods, you’re awake at last!”

Yuuma smiles through the pain. “‘Course I woke up. I was having the weirdest dream –”

“You were  _ dueling,” _ Kotori says. “You passed out after colliding with Yuuya, and …” She shrugs. “Are you awake enough to watch the video? I’m sure you want to see the show you put on?”

“I’m always awake for that,” Yuuma says. He attempts to lift himself off the bed, yet the moment he puts pressure on his arms new pain blossoms along his forearms and he drops himself back down. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a  _ truck.” _

“Close enough,” Kotori says, coming back with her D-Pad. She lays it gingerly on Yuuma’s lap and fiddles with the internet to get the video up. “It’s on the news, it’s on DuelTube … You’re everywhere, Yuuma. Your duel made history for sure.”

“That’s a good thing,” Yuuma says. He looks up at Yuuya and says, “Did … did anything happen to you during the duel?”

Yuuya shakes his head. “I don’t remember what happened, but …” He presses play on the D-Pad. The video opens with the opening plays of the duel - nothing spectacular, but seeing himself and Yuuya in action makes Yuuma’s heart beat faster. Then the duel speeds up; the duelists become more animated as they leap and spin in sync to one another. 

Then Yuuma and Yuuya jump, meeting together on the trapeze. Like before, Yuuma sees sparks between them, growing hot as red and green light meets. Then the field grows brighter than a sun that catches both of them, and Yuuma sees him and Yuuya spin together, souls  _ merged.  _ It’s reminiscent of his magic with Astral, only more raw and unstable. This is a dance neither Yuuma nor Yuuya have mastered, and their untimely steps as they spin together only makes the moment more lively.

A spark then appears between them, shooting them in opposite directions. Yuuya’s green glows disappears at once, red eyes disappearing as he comes to. Yuuma, however, remains paralysed on the field. His eyes glow red as well, and they don’t close when the medical officers come to pick up his body, check his vitals, and then put him on the stretcher to wheel him off the field. The entire video is only three minutes long, but it’s enough for Yuuma to see what went on when he met the counterparts.

“What did you  _ do?”  _ Kotori demands. 

“I don’t know, formed Zexal maybe,” is all Yuuma can say.

“That’s not supposed to happen though,” she says. “I’ve seen yours and Astral’s connections - you don’t break apart like that. You’ve been unconscious for an hour, still glowing faintly just until you woke up. What … what were you even thinking?”

Next to hear, Yuuya and Yuzu look away. They both hunch their shoulders and clench their hands, perhaps worried to meet his gaze in case it happens again.

Yuuma bites his lip. If he tells everyone about meeting Yuuya’s counterparts, then they’ll tell him he’s lying. He’s already told Yuuya before that he can hear the voices of the monsters and it’s only caused trouble. 

“I don’t know what happened,” Yuuma says then. He points at the screen where he lies, convulsing on the ground from the effects of forming Zexal. Yuuma wonders when in this video he was meeting the counterparts – what did it look like to be within Yuuya? “I don’t know what I did.”

“That was stupid then,” Kotori says. “You could’ve hurt yourself –”

“It’s not like you can just turn that on and off. I didn’t know it would work –”

Kotori sighs. “Do you remember any of this? Anything?”

Next to her, Yuuya says, “When I woke up, I didn’t remember what happened. They made me stand up so they could declare me the winner of the match, but I don’t know what happened before it. You … formed Zexal with me?”

“I think so.” Yuuma ignores the pain across his body as he leans forward and says, “Everyone saw that, didn’t they?”

Kotori holds up Yuuma’s D-Gazer on which there are several messages from his sister, all in caps lock and appearing quite upset. “Akari-san saw too.”

“She’ll be fine,” Yuuma says, holding up a smile. “Once I tell them what happened, and how awesome that is –”

“You got hurt,” Yuzu cuts in. “How can that be ‘awesome’?”

“Because it means Yuuya and I can form Zexal and create miracles!”

“I don’t think it worked though,” Kotori says. “You didn’t form anything. You got launched across the field and suffered a dozen cuts and bruises. You’re lucky you didn’t break anything. It’s a miracle you’re awake now and looking as good as you are.”

Yuuma smiles wider. “That’s the power of Zexal: it was a miracle!”

Kotori rolls her eyes. “We should let it go for now. You need to rest, and Hiiragi-chan is up next. You look fine to me at least.” At those words, she falls over the bed to embrace him in an awkward hug. Her arms get tangled in the wires monitoring Yuuma’s vitals, yet she still manages to snake an arm around his neck and gently pull him into a hug. “Thank goodness you’re here with us.”

“I’m invincible.” 

“I’d believe it,” Kotori whispers back. She lets him go so that Yuzu can wave goodbye to him. Both girls stop at the doorway to wait for Yuuya, who waves them on.

“I’ll be there in a moment.”

Yuzu chuckles. “Don’t miss my duel, OK?”

“I won’t.”

Yuzu closes the door behind her, leaving Yuuya and Yuuma left in the room. Yuuya still can’t meet his eyes, looking at anywhere but Yuuma wired into the hospital bed. The silence stretching over the room is audible until Yuuma breaks it with a laugh. He snakes a hand through the sheets to poke at Yuuma’s fingers; even without the magic it still shocks Yuuya, and he looks up at him with  _ fear. _

“Why?” Yuuya asks him.

Yuuma frowns. “Why what?”

“Why did you do that? All of it. Look at what happened because of us.”

Yuuma makes a show of looking around the room. “What? That I got a little hurt? You’re fine though –”

“You’re not.”

Yuuma laughs it off, waving a hand dismissively at Yuuya. “It worked in the end. Yuuya …” Yuuma leans close. “I met your counterparts when our souls connected. When you form Zexal, you make this sort of connection or bond. It’s so close and personal that I bet if you tried you could’ve seen my memories or something. I didn’t see yours, but I found them. They might be in you, or maybe they’re just distantly connected to you.”

To Yuuma’s surprise, Yuuya doesn’t interrupt him. 

“I met Yuugo and Yuuto and Yuuri, and they’re all waiting for you.”

Yuuya shakes his head. “They’re gone, Yuuma. Ray split us apart.”

“Well, they’re somewhere because I found them!”

This only makes Yuuya shake more, red and green hair whipping at his pale cheeks. Yuuya’s gaunt face is white underneath the artificial lighting of the hospital room. “We aren’t  _ supposed  _ to find each other, Yuuma. Ever. Ray split us apart because when we come together, we can recreate Zarc, and even without all the destruction, we’re not safe when we’re together. 

“The bracelet girls keep us separate. It’s Ray’s duty, but it’s also passed down to her counterparts. If Yuzu found the other girls, the worst that would happen is that Ray would appear and maybe she’d cast some more dimensional magic to rewrite all of our histories. But if I found my counterparts, we’d fuse to become Zarc, and that’s the worst thing imaginable.”

“How worse?” Yuuma dares to say. 

“If you form Zexal with me, will you draw all my counterparts together?”

“I don’t know.” Yuuma reaches underneath his hospital gown for the Key, and, not finding it there, then snatches it off the table. “Astral’s memories were in the Key, along with Don Thousand’s soul. There was both of them in there, and then both of them  _ in me.  _ And hey, I’m still here.” Holding up the Key for Yuuya to see, Yuuma says, “Being connected to someone else is like creating a miracle: it takes strength and hope and determination.”

“I  _ can’t  _ see my counterparts again –”

“Because Zarc will return?” Yuuma thinks of the boy riding on the dragons, all smiles before an audience cheering for him. That had been Zarc; Yuuma feels it in his soul. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

Yuuya snorts and looks away. “You don’t want to know.”

“I do - I want to see it and believe it.” Through the wires, Yuuma reaches out to grab Yuuya’s Pendulum. He holds it alongside the Key, twirling the two pendants together until they are connected.

Yuuya watches the necklaces untwirl, eyes focusing on the gold and blue together. “And what if that makes it worse?”

“Kattobingu,” Yuuma says. “Have hope that it will work out, and persevere when it doesn’t. Just like the Pendulum - when you swing the other way, just ride it through and swing back even harder than before.”

After that, Yuuya bites his lip and stills his tongue. His eyes remain focuses on the connecting and reconnecting of the pendants, until Yuuma laughs at the silliness of it all and pulls back. With the cords still tied, Yuuya falls with him, landing next to Yuuma. The hospital bed is wide enough to hold both of them, and so Yuuya adjusts himself so he is next to Yuuma – and somehow not squishing him and his bruises – and able to watch Yuzu’s duel on the D-Pad.

Yuzu puts on a show for her duels, yet Yuuma can’t stop staring at Yuuya lying next to him. The space between them is miniscule. Yuuma doesn’t dare try try anything else, but through the pain he rests himself next to Yuuya and watches the duel.

“Can Yuzu hear the monsters’ voices?” he asks.

“I don’t think so,” Yuuya answers, voice listless. “She’s never said she can, and it’s mostly just a thing from being connected to Zarc.”

“Is that how I can hear it?” Yuuma asks. “Because I’m connected to Zarc too?”

Yuuya shakes his head. “Entertainment duels … there are glitches in the system. It’s not like entertainment is defined as good-natured fun. You can have violent duels too. The more animated you become, the more mental strain you have. Your mind will tell you that you have a duty to perform.” Yuuya shrugs. “That’s why you’re hearing voices.”

“And you hear them too?” 

Yuuya pauses before he nods. “That’s not a good thing, you know?”

Yuuma shrugs.

“It means you’re pressured to perform. It means your body and mind think you have a duty to dueling, and that isn’t how you duel.” Yuuya leans back and sighs. “Sometimes the entertainer isn’t entertained. Sometimes the smile is fake and the pain is hidden.”

“I’m like you and Yuzu then.” He taps the screen where Yuzu does a series of flips up to a floating platform. Once she lands, she draws and Summons, throwing the card down as she calls out an impressive, lyrical chant. “I duel for hope and smiles, not for pain. I want to be entertainers just like you and Yuzu.”

“Sure.”

Yuzu wins her match. The D-Pad alights with bright sparks that pan off to a leaderboard. Her name moves up to the semifinal bracket, where she will be paired against the winner of the next match. Yuuya’s name is up there as well, matched against Dennis. Yuuma’s own name is below, crossed out with an ‘X’ because of his loss.

“We’ll get to see Dennis duel next,” Yuuya says. “And maybe if Masumi wins her duel, Yuzu will be against her.” 

The screen flicks back to Yuzu waving to her audience on the field. She holds up her ace Melodious cards, Bloom Diva and Bloom Prima. The crowd cheers and claps for her. Yuzu then spins in the air, rising up to a higher platform where she can look out at everyone. At the top, she calls out, “Which brave Gem Knight will fight me next?” At once the screen pans to Masumi, standing in line for her match. Her cheeks are as red as rubies; she looks away at once, yet her eyes linger back to Yuzu now hopping down to properly thank her opponent and exit the stage.

“Yuzu versus Masumi would be a good duel,” Yuuya says. “They have history as fellow rivals, though Masumi won’t remember much of it.”

“Before the rewrite?” Yuuma says.

“Masumi’s memories were altered, but her emotions weren’t. People like her - friends of ours indirectly affected by the rewrite – are strange cases of what happens when you mess with time. Masumi still acts like she’s known Yuzu forever even though they’ve only dueled a handful of times.”

“So if time was rewritten again,” Yuuma says, “then would that mean I’d forget about you, but my feelings for you would stay?”

Yuuya’s cheeks redden. “Yeah, it does.”

Yuuma nestles close. “Then my heart will never forget you.” 

Now Yuuma can say that Yuuya’s cheeks are as bright as tomatoes, and he pushes down on Yuuma’s face – the only part of his body that doesn’t hurt – and huffs. “That’s sappy, Yuuma.”

“Sentimental,” Yuuma says. “Shark says it’s sentimental.”

The next silence that falls over them is blissful. Yuuma thinks about Yuuya, and Yuuya being next to him. The thoughts are comforting. If he were with Yuuya forever, Yuuma thinks it might be a wonderful thing. He could do so much. He could duel and study and teach, and Yuuya would always be with him and next to him. Yuuma can imagine moving to Maiami in the future, and until then saving up to buy his own train pass so he doesn’t have to keep using his sister’s. 

There are no other patients in the medical room - a good thing, Yuuma supposes. Designated medical personnel occasionally pass through to fill out forms, and once someone comes by to ask him how his pain levels are.

“You’re good to go,” the doctor says. “You’ve got bruises so take it easy, but it’s nothing a little rest can’t heal.”

Now disqualified from the tournament, Yuuma realises all he can do is cheer on his friends. When he returns home, Akari will have an earful for him. Yuuma doesn’t think she’ll travel to Maiami though: Reiji altered the programming so that the screen read that he was all right after the fall. If his sister was watching, she’ll know he’s OK.

Yuuma stays next to Yuuya until Yuzu throws open the door and catches them both on the hospital bed. She raises one eyebrow and asks, “Did you even watch my duel?”

Yuuya and Yuuma sit upright at once. 

“That’s what the D-Pad is for!” Yuuma says, wincing as he throws his arm up to show Yuzu the screen. “We watched your match on here, and it gave us the scoreboard and everything. It’s just … well … there’s no comfortable way to lie on the bed except like  _ that.” _

Yuzu chuckles. “Sure.” She shuffles her deck in her hands as she looks around the room. “Did the doctors say anything, Yuuma?”

“I’m good to go! It’s just bruises, nothing I can’t handle.”

“That’s a miracle,”  Kotori says with a smirk. She leans against the door and crosses her arms. “You fell from the top platform spinning through the air and then shot across the field when you and Yuuya separated. Honestly, you were out of it for a good while. You sure you don’t feel nauseous or achey?”

Yuuma pushes himself off the bed. When his feet touch the ground there is a twinge of pain up his legs, but it’s nothing worse than Yuuma’s felt from falling in gym class. “I feel fine!” he tells Kotori. He takes a few tentative steps before he laughs and throws his arms above his head. “I’m glad to be out of here already! We should get some food and head home after the last match is decided.”

Kotori dangles her D-Gazer between her fingers. “Call Akari-san and tell her you’re not dead.”

“I’m not dead,” Yuuma argues, “and she knows that. She’ll just be pissed that I disobeyed her, and that I recklessly chose to duel. She’ll use that duel to tell me that I can never duel again.”

Yuzu looks from Kotori to Yuuma, eyebrows furrowed. “She doesn’t like dueling …?”

“She doesn't like  _ me  _ dueling,” Yuuma explains. “She thinks it’s dangerous and irresponsible, and she especially doesn’t like Entertainment dueling since it’s more dangerous. She doesn’t want me to do anything fun.”

The mood only dips down for a second before Yuuma marches forward and out the door. “We’ll go watch the final match and then head home …” Yuuma pauses. “Kotori, we’ll stay at Yuuya's house –”

“She can stay with me!” Yuzu says. “In fact, we can all stay at my house. It’s nearby, and we can all sleep in the living room. That’s good with you, Mizuki-chan?”

“Fine with me!” Kotori answers.

Masumi wins the final duel of the night. The leaderboard highlights the semi-final duels: Masumi vs. Yuzu, and Dennis vs. Yuuya. Yuuma’s heart aches to be up there with Yuuya. If he and Yuuya had tag-dueled together, perhaps forming Zexal would have worked. Maybe they needed to be dueling together and not against each other.

The thought sticks in Yuuma’s head as they head back from the duel centre and towards You Show. The drippy sunset melts into the horizon on which Yuuma can see Heartland. He wonders how many people saw him duel. He was Heartland’s champion; they’ve seen him form Zexal before. But forming Zexal with another human, and one from another dimensional city? Yuuma hopes his city saw him happy!

In Yuzu’s house, she leads them to where spare futons and sheets are kept. They arrange them on the floor in a square so that they can all see each other; Yuuma picks to sleep next to Yuuya. 

“If I roll onto someone else’s bed, Kotori, do you want me sleeping in yours?”

Yuzu holds a fan out. “If anyone rolls onto someone else’s bed, I’ll move them back.”

Yuuma thinks,  _ If I roll onto Yuuya’s bed, he’ll let him sleep with me. _

Yuuya and Yuzu touch-up their decks before they all lie on their futons, facing one another. Yuzu rolls over at once and tells everyone she’s going to bed. Kotori soon follows, shooting Yuuma a scathing glare.

“Don’t roll onto my bed.”

“I won’t,” Yuuma says. “I know how to sleep on my own bed.”

She grins. “Good night then! See you in the morning!”

Yuuma rolls over to look at Yuuya. He puts a finger to his lips which Yuuma understands as ‘be quiet and go to sleep’; however, after a moment Yuuya removes his finger and leans close to Yuuma. “Had to wait until they were both asleep. Yuzu wasn’t lying when she said she’ll whack you. She’s whacked me, she’s whacked her father … she probably keeps score in a journal.” Yuuya laughs, muffled by the thin sheets spread out on the beds.

“Come here - you can lie on my bed.” He lifts up the covers so that Yuuma can roll across his bed and onto Yuuya’s. Yuuya’s bed is softer and warmer. Yuuma nestles into the blankets, remembering the last time he was tucked in with Yuuya on the hospital bed, and the time before that when they –

Yuuma’s ears go red as Yuuya snuggles next to him, pushing his nose into the back of Yuuma’s neck. Yuuya breathes in and out. The feeling of hot breath on Yuuma’s neck makes him shiver, and instinctively Yuuya leans back. 

“If I touch you, will we form Zexal?”

Now it’s Yuuma laughing, and he keels forward to silence his giggles in the blankets twisted in his sweaty hands. “No, no!” Yuuma whispers. “That only happens in places where dimensions meet, or in places where there is Real Solid Vision to manifest that magic.” To prove it, Yuuma reaches back and searches for Yuuya’s hands. Their fingers intertwine; Yuuma leans back to breathe in with Yuuya. “See, no weird glowing magic.”

“I believe you now.” Yuuya squeezes his hand. “But that means if we ever duel again …”

“Forming Zexal isn’t a perfect act,” Yuuma says. “When … when Astral and I were in Zexal, I think he knew what he was doing. Maybe he’s done it before, or because he was Astral he already knew how. With us, it’s different. It’s new.  _ We’re  _ new to it.” Yuuma tugs Yuuya’s hand forward so that it lies over him, a gentle barrier to keep them together. “We can keep trying and learning together.”

“Will that happen again?” Yuuya asks. 

“It just takes practice,” Yuuma insists. “I’ll keep trying over and over again until I can be with you.”

Yuuya nods. “You’ll connect with my counterparts then.”

“All of you.”

Yuuya shivers, starting from his head and travelling down to his legs that rustle the bed sheets. “I’m scared of them. We’re not all the same, and together or separate we don’t always get along. We’re –”

“Different,” Yuuma finishes. “You’re all different, and that’s OK. They aren’t  _ you  _ though. I’m friends with Sakaki Yuuya, who isn’t Yuuto or Yuugo or Yuuri. I want to meet your counterparts too, but they aren’t you.”

Yuuya sighs against him. “You think of things too simply.”

Yuuma shrugs. “It’s easier. It helps not to think so deeply of everything because sometimes I don’t need to. I don’t need to know everything about you and your history to like you.” Warmth swirls in Yuuma’s stomach and he tightens the blankets around them. “Sakaki Yuuya, I like you.”

Yuuya’s breath hitches. Yuuma waits for Yuuya to reply, never once turning around. After a minute, Yuuya bows his head to that it rests gently behind Yuuma’s. His bangs tickle Yuuya’s neck. “Tsukumo Yuuma, I like you too.”

Hearing the words makes Yuuma’s heart jump, and in one swift motion Yuuma flips himself to look at Yuuya properly. Yuuya’s raw emotions are painted on his bright face: his eyes are wide, his mouth slightly-parted, head bowed. He looks up, shocked, when Yuuma turns over. 

“I’m so happy to hear that, Yuuya!”

Yuuya slaps a hand over Yuuma’s mouth at once. “Ssh! We’ll wake the girls up.”

“Kotori sleeps like a rock,” Yuuma says through the hand over his lips. “We should be fine. Yuuya, I’m so happy to hear that.” With an elated sigh, Yuuma embraces Yuuya, closing what little space was between him. His head fits underneath Yuuya’s neck and like puzzle pieces his body, hips, and legs find their perfect place. If Yuuya breathes or moves, Yuuma feels it, and he lets himself mimic Yuuya’s motions.

“Should we sleep like this?” Yuuya asks. 

“I’m comfy,” Yuuma says. “I’m so happy with you.”

Yuuma falls asleep to the sounds of distant waves and gentle winds. Next to Yuuya, it is warm and safe. When Yuuma dreams, he imagines bubbles and lights like he once saw while in Zexal form with Astral. Yuuma imagines what it might be like to be properly in connection with Yuuya.

_ I wish to be with you. _


	18. Help! The Pressure to Perform in Entertainment Dueling!

Yuuma wakes up to the feel of Yuuya’s arms around his middle and his gentle breath in Yuuma’s ear. It’s peaceful for all of three seconds before someone presses the bell downstairs and the ringing sound travels up the staircase and into the living room. It must be magic or amplified because at  once Yuuma throws his hands over his ears and groans. The ringing continues for another few seconds before there is sweet silence, only to be interrupted again by another _ding!_

“What _is_ that?” Yuuma says to Yuuya, who has woken up as well.

He frowns and rubs at his eyes, gazing blearily around the room. Then, as if recognising the sound, he sits upright and throws the blankets off his legs. “Someone’s  downstairs,” he says.

Yuuma doesn’t see the excitement of this. “Why do we have to get up then? Can’t Coach get it?”

Yuzu is up too, already halfway down the stairs. “Dad’s probably out for a run,” she says. She beckons with her hand for Yuuya to follow after her, and the two of them descend down the stairs. Yuuma untangles himself from the sheets to follow. Somehow Kotori sleeps on, nestled on her bed under a fuzzy blanket that Yuzu must’ve given her. She doesn’t stir as Yuuma clomps past her and leaps his way down the stairs.

At the lower level, standing in front of the desk, is Reiji. Yuuma has only seen Reiji a handful of times, far less than Yuuya and Yuzu, and so he hangs back on the bottom step. Reiji is taller than everyone, dressed comfortably in dark capris and a crisp, light blue top. A large, red scarf is wrapped around his neck; its ends dangle behind him, and at times appear to whoosh out on their own accord. Reiji has a habit of adjusting his glasses, as if they can never sit correctly on the bridge of his nose. He continues to talk to Yuuya and Yuzu for a minute longer before lifting his head to spot Yuuma.

“Tsukumo-kun, from Heartland?”

“That’s me!” Yuuma says, raising a hand. He skips down the final step and makes to shake Reiji’s hand or high-five him. Neither happens. Reiji holds himself stiffly in the same uncomfortable position. He towers over Yuuma and has to look down state his next words.

“I’ve come to talk to you about what happened yesterday.”

“Oh.” Yuuma had hoped Reiji would come bearing better news, perhaps that Yuuma wasn’t disqualified from the tournament, or at least that there might be consolation prizes for all competitors.

Reiji looks around the room. “Is there any place we can meet?”

Yuzu points to a door across from them. “Dad sometimes has meetings in there, but he’s out right now. I’m sure we could talk there.” She reaches behind the desk for a gold keyring, which unlocks all the doors on the first floor. The room is first and foremost a conference room: one large table spans the length of the room, made of smooth oak and glossily finished to give it a gentle lustre. There are at least two dozen chairs circling the table. Yuzu leads them to one end where there is an electronic board. They take seats; Yuuma makes sure to sit next to Yuuya, and Reiji sits across from them.

“Before I begin, I want to ask you, Tsukumo-kun, how are your injuries?”

Yuuma lifts both arms above his head and smiles. “Feeling great!”

“I’m glad to hear,” Reiji says. “Now, the press has been insistent that I share how your accident occurred. What happened on the field is unfamiliar to me. Can you elaborate?”

Reiji’s words are technical and precise. Yuuma chews his lip as he thinks of how to respond to that question in an equally fancy manner. At the same time, Yuuma snatches glances at Yuuya. Should he trust Reiji with information about Zexal? Is Reiji someone who will support them through and through?

Yuuya nods to him.

“I formed Zexal,” Yuuma says. “It’s a powerful connection between two duelists, like a coming-together of some sorts. It … didn’t really work though. What happened wasn’t _supposed_ to happen. Usually the duelists come together and a new power is born, but instead Yuuya and I rejected one another and we broke apart.”

Reiji nods, face impassive. “Have you formed Zexal before?”

“Of course!”

“Is this power common in Heartland City?”

“No, it’s …” Yuuma laughs. “It’s something that happens when I’m really close to someone. There was someone very important to me who I formed Zexal with, and it always worked. But we were on the same team! That’s why it didn’t work - Yuuya and I were against each other.”

“I see,” is all Reiji says. He looks to Yuuya. “And do you know of this Zexal power?”

“Yuuma’s told me about it before. That was the first time though that we got so close to each other.” Yuuya swallows and considers his next words. “Reiji, when Yuuma formed Zexal, he was reconnecting us – all of us. He saw my other counterparts –”

“It was fine though!” Yuuma interrupts. “They didn’t do anything, I promise!”

Reiji nods again. “Yuuya, did you see your counterparts?”

Yuuya shakes his head. “I heard someone speaking, but it wasn’t any of them.”

“Who’d you hear?” Yuuma asks. “Did you hear Hope?”

“I don’t know.” Yuuya shrugs and fiddles with his hands. Yuuma notes the shaking of Yuuya’s fingers, and he wishes he could reach over and take them gently in his own.

“It wasn’t a glitch in the technology, was it?” Yuzu asks. “This didn’t happen when other Xyz duelists were in tournaments. You Show hasn’t heard of Zexal power before, and it isn’t taught in our curriculum. Does LDS teach it?”

“I’m unfamiliar with it as well.” Reiji leans down to reach inside a leather briefcase. He pulls out several pictures of the match, some of which Yuuma has seen in the news reports, and others that appear more secretive. In the photos, both Yuuya and Yuuma’s eyes glow crimson. Their faces are split open in pain; from Yuuya, a fiery aura pulses behind him. Yuuma notes the dark energy streaming from his body.

There are more photos like that, many of which taken in low-light that only makes the changes more visible. Both Yuuya and Yuuma are tossed on their backs in the photographs, unable to move from whatever affliction affected them. The photos are creepy for Yuuma, but they have an even stronger effect on Yuuya: his face twists in disgust and his red hands wring together.

“These weren’t on the broadcast,” Yuuma notes.

“I didn’t think all of the dimensional cities needed to see,” Reiji says. He points to a picture of Yuuya on the ground, eyes red and staring up at the camera. “I’ve seen this person before. This is familiar to me, though still worrying.” He points to Yuuma, also with red eyes and glaring upwards. “This I haven’t seen. Tsukumo-kun, can you explain what happened?”

Yuuma doesn’t know. It looks like when he and Astral, corrupted by Don Thousand, merged and formed Dark Zexal. However, Yuuma notes that he’s immobilised in this form, and he wonders if perhaps this was when he met the counterparts. Yuuma doesn’t remember much of what happened before he woke up first in the Ray and Zarc dream sequence, and then again with Yuuya’s counterparts. Both times Yuuma was too engrossed in the visions to pay attention to what was happening in the duel.

“That’s never happened before,” Yuuma says. “When you form Zexal with someone, it’s almost always a healthy connection.”

“Almost?” Reiji repeats.

Yuuma winces at his slip of the tongue. “Yeah, it doesn’t work if you and your partner can’t connect.”

“Does that mean you and Yuuya weren’t meant to connect?”

Yuuma throws himself forward at once. “No, I mean that we needed to be dueling together for it to work. When … when I formed Zexal with my special someone, we were always a team, partners even! Yuuya and I weren’t partners in that duel and the magic still activated, so it didn’t work.” At Reiji’s stern glare, Yuuma slunks back in his seat. “It’s nothing to be that worried about …”

Reiji folds his hands before him. Yuuma thinks Reiji is too much business and too little fun because he doesn’t smile or frown at any of Yuuma’s comments. His poker face is too strong for Yuuma to see through.

“The system can glitch,” Yuzu says. She lays a hand on Yuuya that seems to shock him back into reality. “This isn’t the first time Real Solid Vision has malfunctioned. Maybe it didn’t work well with Yuuma’s magic.”

“That is possible,” Reiji says. “Tsukumo-kun, you’re no longer dueling in this tournament because you were eliminated by being unable to duel –”

“Don’t have to rub it in.”

“– but I would like to tell me what happened while you were unconscious. You mentioned meeting the other counterparts.”

“Yeah, Yuugo, Yuuto, and Yuuri. All of them were … somewhere. I don’t know where I was, but they were all there. All of them.” Yuuma frowns. He looks to Yuuya again for support, but this time Yuuya’s gaze is firmly drilled into the desk. He doesn’t look up as Yuuma continues. “They were talking about becoming one, and they wanted to know if Yuuya was around. But really, it wasn’t that weird or anything. The guy who was important to me, they were talking with me too.”

“And were you talking with Yuuya when this happened?”

“With the counterparts,” Yuuma corrects. “And with the monsters.”

Reiji raises one eyebrow. “You can talk to the monsters.”

“I can hear them.”

Reiji doesn’t speak up, though Yuuma doesn’t think it’s because Reiji has run out of questions. Perhaps he’s thinking through what Yuuma has said and filtering it through his own knowledge-base of strange happenings. Perhaps he’s wondering if Yuuma is telling the truth or not. Yuuma suspects that Reiji knows about this from Yuuya, or from his own knowledge of his company’s glitchy technology.

“I won’t do it again,” Yuuma adds. “You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Can you truly say that?” Reiji says. “You mean to say that you meant for this to happen?”

“Well, not like _this,_ but I did want to form Zexal.”

Reiji falls silent again. He collects up his photographs and tucks them away in his briefcase. Yuuya keeps his head down, never making eye contact with anyone.

“Yuuma,” Reiji begins, “Real Solid Vision is a power that comes from an alternate dimension - the Original Dimension, where Zarc resided. In this world, entertainment was both beautiful and gory; duelists fought alongside their monsters. Harmony and destruction came together in that world. Today, Real Solid Vision still brings out those moments in people. When entertainment becomes a deadly sport, it re-awakens that timeline. You are aware of the multiple timelines in which Maiami resides, correct?”

“Right!”

“Good. When time was rewritten, the world was remade, but those past timelines weren’t forgotten. You can’t erase what happened, but you can write over it, recreate time without throwing away the past. What you are experiencing sounds like a power that can create and destroy galaxies.

“I’m worried this power of yours won’t mix well with Real Solid Vision. If you are hearing the voices of the monsters, then you are falling down the wrong path. Duel monsters are companions, but I would caution listening too closely to them. Entertainment takes it out of you, and neither Yuuya nor I would want you to become … hurt by Action Duels.”

“What kind of hurt?” Yuuma asks. “Like this?”

Reiji shakes his head. “Hearing voices will drive you insane.”

Yuuma swallows. He remembers being in Dark Zexal and climbing up the spire to find Astral black and deformed, eyes soulless as he attacked both himself and Yuuma. The memories churn unpleasant feelings in Yuuma’s head. If he hurts others while he’s dueling, then he won’t truly be dueling. Zarc, when Yuuya had seen him, was under the effects of Entertainment dueling. Yuuma can’t imagine that he’d fall into the same trap, but if what happened to Yuuya and Zarc is happening to him …

To lighten the mood, Yuuma laughs it off. “That won’t happen! I only duel for fun!”

“Even the gentlest of duelists can snap under pressure,” Reiji says. He looks at Yuuya, who still won’t meet his eyes. “It’s important to me, Tsukumo-kun, that no one is hurt by LDS’ Real Solid Vision. If you have any further questions, please come see me in my office.” He hands and proffers a business card from his pocket. The card is then held before Yuuma, who takes it with one hand and peers at it for any important information. Other than Reiji’s name and company, and a contact number below, the card isn’t special. Yuuma sticks it in his pocket and ignores Reiji’s stern look.

“Got it, Akaba-kun! If something bad happens, I’ll come to you.”

“Come to me before anything bad happens, please,” Reiji says, the corners of his mouth lifting up in a slight smile. “Yuuya,” he then says, turning his chair towards him, “I wish you the best of luck in the match.”

Yuuya nods mutely. Reiji takes his leave after one more round of thank-yous and goodbyes to everyone in the room. When he leaves, Yuzu ushers them out of the room and locks it up behind her. She takes them back upstairs at once; Yuuma leads Yuuya into the kitchen with him. They pass by Kotori on their way, who sleeps soundly on the futon.

The kitchen is as large as Yuuma’s entire living room and filled with food and snacks. With the Tsukumo budget, Akari can only afford the essential cooking items. Yuzu’s family appears to have more to spend: there are all sorts of fruits and vegetables in the fridge; snacks and desserts are tucked in several pantries. Yuzu whips up common dishes like tamagoyaki and fried fish, and just like when they had the party she makes the boys carry the dishes to the table.

Yuuma is eager to help, bouncing on his heels behind Yuzu as she folds the eggs in a special, rectangular pan. “I can cook too, you know!”

“I was told you can’t,” Yuzu says.

Yuuma huffs. “And who told you?”

“Mizuki-chan. But that doesn’t mean you can’t help.” Yuzu sets the final egg on the plate, then turns around to set it in Yuuma’s awaiting hands. “You can set the table for me.”

Yuuma laughs. Over his shoulder he spots Yuuya sitting on the counter, eyes downcast. Ever since he woke up and they went down to visit Reiji, Yuuya has looked gloomy. He doesn’t say much as Yuuma insists to Yuzu that the best of breakfasts come with toast, to which Yuzu exclaims that if Yuuma wants toast and jam he might as well take an all-American breakfast with sugary cereal and milk.

Throughout their bickering, Yuuya doesn’t stop them. He rubs at his hands and arms as if there are scratches on them that he’s meant to itch. Whenever Yuzu or Yuuma try to drag him in the conversation, Yuuya always seems to stick to one- or two-word answers. Finally, after minutes  of Yuuya sitting in silence, he tugs at the goggles on his head and pulls them down to cover his eyes. Yuzu notices the change at once.

“Are you worried about dueling?” she asks offhandedly.

Yuuya shakes his head. He picks at the rubber encircling the goggles’ lens.

“You don’t need to be worried!” Yuuma adds. “Reiji says the technology is fine so long as there’s no mental strain! We’re gonna be fine!”

The words aren’t comforting to Yuuya. He leans himself back on one of the hanging cabinets and sighs. “I don’t know what I want to happen,” he says, voice low.

Yuzu continues to stir pots of miso soup and pans with seared mackerel. “You don’t need to know right away. That might come later.”

“What if they come back?” Yuuya says.

Yuuma shakes his head. “What’s the worst that can happen? You’ve already said this to me: you wanted to overlay too. Yuuya, even if it’s scary, we can still go for it. You wanted to be with me too. Forming Zexal means trusting the other person … did you not trust me?”

“I didn’t know what to think in that moment,” Yuuya says. He looks from Yuzu to Yuuya, and then back down at his hands. “I don’t know what to think now.”

Yuuma laughs, covering it with one hand when he catches Yuzu’s glare. “Sometimes I don’t even think – I just go for it. Maybe … just maybe that might work for you too. And besides, we won’t overlay again –”

“I’ll still be able to talk to them,” Yuuya says. “I hear them when I duel too, and I thought if I just ignored them for long enough they’d all go away. Reiji _knows_ what happens when Zarc comes, and it’s not something anyone wants to see in the tournament. I’ll lose complete control of myself and he’ll have free reign. Entertainment duels drain you; they put pressure on you to perform. And … and I don’t want to perform anymore!” Yuuya scrubs at the bottoms of his goggles, cheeks growing red. “I don’t want to perform for anyone.”

The crushing feeling of hopelessness hits Yuuma in the chest, crushing his hands and squeezing his mind. When he duels, he does so freely; there isn’t any pressure. But Entertainment duels are a different matter, and one that seems to have a profound effect on young duelists. Yuuma himself feels the twinges of power when his power is urged to move by some otherworldly force; however, perhaps the pressure is even greater for Yuuya.

Coming around to stand before Yuuya, Yuzu takes his hands and looks him square in the eye. “No one’s demanding the world of you. No one can take your place.” She squeezes his hands, and the motion gets him to look up just a bit from the ground. “You’ve got two more duels and that’s it. We’ll all be watching you, but no one’s expecting you to wow the crowd. Besides, you already will. You’re a great duelist, Yuuya. Hang in there!”

Yuzu reaches behind her to grab one rice ball, neatly wrapped in onigiri and filled with azuki bean jam. “Here, eat up –”

“Duel Fuel!” Yuuma blurts out upon seeing the rice ball. “That’s what you need, Yuuya - duel fuel! If you’re feeling down, just eat something!”

Yuuya looks from the rice ball to Yuuma. “I don’t think you can bring food –”

“If you eat it quickly, they can’t get mad at you because the food’ll be gone by the time they get down.” Winking, Yuuma adds, “Trust me, you’ll need the energy!”

The corners of Yuuya’s lips twitch upwards; Yuuma almost misses it, but when he sees Yuuya’s mood lift slightly, he hurriedly grabs more Duel Fuels, insisting that Yuuya take as much as he can with him. “If security asks you why you’re bringing food on the field, say it’s for a medical reason! They’ll believe you, I hope!”

Breakfast is cleared off in record speed; Yuuma saves as many snacks as he can to bring with him and Yuuya. The meal perks them up a bit, and once they are dressed and Kotori is woken up – “You missed breakfast, so here’s some leftovers. Gods, Kotori, how can you sleep through so much noise?” “Yuuma, that was _your_ noise.” – they head back to the arena. Since the matches don’t begin until noon, and it’s still early in the morning, the streets are quiet and the trains not as busy. According to Yuuya, tournaments are treated like holidays, where major businesses might close or have fewer hours open; likewise, half the city goes to the tournaments, so business drops either way.

“Do you get to skip school for tournaments?” Yuuma asks.

“No,” Yuzu says, rolling her eyes at such a question. “That’s what tournaments are during the weekend – there’s less class to miss. At most you’ll miss your Saturday half-day courses –”

“That’s still better than Heartland.” Yuuma turns to Kotori and says, “Imagine getting to skip school to duel!”

“Your grades would suffer even more,” she teases.

At the bridge to the arena, Yuuma spots duelists lined up to go in. Badges are checked and bags inspected before they enter the first section of security. Yuuma holds his breath when the officer checks the bag of rice balls, but he says nothing and lets them pass. Inside the arena, the area is surprisingly clear when not swarmed by people watching the jumbo-screens. There are guards and duelists milling around, though Yuuma doesn’t spot anyone that he dueled yesterday.

On the screen is the current matchups. Four duelists – Yuuya, Masumi, Dennis, and Yuzu – are pictured. Yuuya had thought he’d be dueling Dennis, but …

“I’m against you, Yuzu.”

Yuuma crosses his arms and declares, “These match-ups _suck.”_

The words echo around the room, catching the attention of a fellow duelist just entering the building. He chuckles to himself; Yuuma turns around, flicks his head back at the screen, and then back once again to the boy. The picture does him justice: Dennis Macfield is a photogenic middle-schooler, costumed in an orange suit with a green tie, though half of the suit is ripped off to reveal a green undershirt. His ears are pierced with earrings made of delicate, origami swans.

“Yuuya!” he says. “And Yuzu! I thought I’d catch you here early.” Dennis greets them all with a firm handshake, winking to each of them playfully.

Yuuma likes Dennis already. He doesn’t remember much about Dennis from what Yuuya’s told him, though he does remember Dennis being a Fusion duelist from Academia. However, unlike Sora who Yuuma remembers being quite fake and reserved, Dennis is a different mystery: Dennis’ happiness and energy seems too good to be true, as if he too is putting on an elaborate show that Yuuma will never understand. Dennis’ voices pitches up and down with every feeling he can manage to show on his dimpled cheeks and crinkled eyes.

“ – and that’s how I made it so far!” Dennis’ stories finish before Yuuma can even keep up with them. “Say Yuuya, how’d you manage to be against Yuzu? I wish we could duel together …”

“Same,” Yuuya says. “I’d rather duel Yuzu in the finals.”

Dennis grins, all teeth exposed. “But now you’ll get to duel me!”

At this, Yuzu laughs. “I’m not so sure. Masumi is a valiant opponent - I wouldn’t dismiss her deck so easily. Besides, she’s a Fusion duelist as well – you two will be evenly matched.”

“We’ll see,” is all Dennis says. He looks to Kotori first, and then Yuuma. “You were in the earlier matches, weren’t you? The Heartland duelist?”

Yuuma scratches the back of his head, cheeks heating up at the attention. Whenever Dennis talks, it feels like there should be a spotlight shining somewhere down on him. At first, Yuuma had thought Dennis and Yuuya were quite alike; however, one conversation later and Yuuma can tell that Dennis puts on a show wherever he is. “That’s me!”

Looking back up at Yuuya, Dennis says, “Your duel yesterday had heads turning. What exactly did you try out?”

Oh. Yuuma swallows. Dennis seems friendly, but Yuuma doesn’t want gossip to travel about him forming Zexal with Yuuya, particularly in case that trend seems to hit off. Forming Zexal seems like a personal thing that he shouldn’t share with everyone. Closing his mouth, Yuuma shrugs.

Dennis leans closer. “I’ve been to Heartland before, y’know, and I don’t remember seeing quite the spectacle as that. Is that a secret power of yours?”

Yuuma bites his tongue. Dennis is far too close to him, and the topic hits too close to home. Laughing to himself, Yuuma says, “It must’ve been a trick of light, huh? Nothing all that weird happened except … except heat stroke! You’ve gotta stay hydrated in a duel, or else you’ll pass out and forfeit your match. And eat! Yuuya’s going to eat on the field too, so he doesn’t lose energy!”

Stepping back, Dennis rolls his eyes. “Tricks of light can be deceiving, can’t they? My bad.” He bows low, swinging an arm across him to appear like a kind gentlemen. “I hope to see you at the duel then. Ciao!” Before anyone can reply, Dennis disappears in the blink of an eye. Yuuma looks around to see if he can spot any bright, ostentatious clothing; however, everyone in sight looks plain and unexciting in t-shirts and jeans. The first wave of attendees has entered into the arena.

Yuzu looks down at her watch and gasps. “Yuuya, we’re going to be late!” She grabs the back of his shirt and tugs him forward; Yuuya’s legs wheel to keep up with her speed-walking. Yuuma and Kotori follow the duo through the thickening crowd of guests trying to enter the main entrances of the arena. The path for duelists, thankfully, is clear, allowing Yuzu and Yuuya to dash through the entrance and check themselves in for their match.

Once Yuuya and Yuzu are safe, Kotori and Yuuma make their way back up to the duelist-only section in the arena. They pick seats close enough so that Yuuma can spot when Yuuya and Yuzu are doing tricks. There aren’t many remaining seats in either the duelist-only section, or in the entire tournament. The seats are a sea of bright colors and banners, eager attendees present to cheer on their favourite Entertainers. Yuuma spots several pink posters with Yuzu’s name, and even more rainbow-coloured posters with Yuuya’s name, blowing in the midday breeze.

On the jumbotron is the match-up: Yuuya versus Yuzu, Pendulums versus Melodious. The screen changes from time-to-time with past rankings for both of them, highlighting both of their impressive dueling records. Next there are advertisements for duel schools. You Show’s in particular is memorable to Yuuma because of Shuuzou’s war-cry of “Burning hot!” to the wild acrobatics of Entertainment duels.

The screen clears at once when the duelists take the stage. Yuuma appears first, bursting from a cloud of red and green smoke. He lands on a floating platform, which aids to boost him up higher. Flipping in the sky, the announcer calls out, “Let’s welcome our first duelist, Sakaki Yuuya of Maiami's You Show Duel School!” The crowd claps wildly, echoing around the stage as Yuuya lands hands-first on the highest platform. Yuuma notes that he’s in new attire: bright, bubbly colours in a clown-suit. A jester’s hat rests on his head, its jangling points dusting the top of the platform.

A melody plays, softly at first and growing louder with the tempo of feet hitting the ground. Yuzu jumps through a cloud of pink smoke and grabs a hanging bar that appears out of thin air. She spins in what appears to be a dancer’s leotard, emblazoned with every colour of pink on the spectrum. Sequins catch the rays of light that sparkle down on her. The back of her outfit is trailed by a long, flowing skirt, tie-dyed pink and purple. Her hair is styled up in one large bun that looms over her head like a blossoming flower.

As the light hits Yuzu once again, the announcer cries, “Hiiragi Yuzu of Maiami’s You Show Duel School! Please help me welcome our second duelist!”

Again, the crowd goes wild with excitement. Yuuma jumps out of his seat to cry out to both of them; whether or not they hear him, they both look towards the duelist’s booth to spot him.

“Kattobingu!” Yuuma shouts to them.

The match starts off with a beat; Yuzu goes first, and Yuuma wonders if perhaps Reiji wishes to go all-out with the antics. Music can be heard as Yuzu draws and spins, landing with a pose that makes the crowd scream. Her plays are technical, but as an Entertainer her focus seems to be on her actions rather than her card plays. After her first play, she jumps up two platforms to reach an Action card only obtainable by her throwing herself at it and then falling to catch herself on a spinning bar. She hangs herself on it, letting her long skirt blow in the wind.

“Turn end.”

Yuuya draws, letting his arm take him for a spin that follows a jump up on a platform. He Summons and falls back off the platform to catch himself as well on a bar; spinning he throws himself across the field to another platform. “Action Card!” Yuuya cries, holding it up for the crowd to see. The card appears on the jumbotron, followed by an image of Yuuya and Yuzu’s cards on the field.

The duel becomes a back-and-forth of plays, both duelists slowly chipping away at the other’s cards. Yuzu Fusion Summons on her third turn; the Field glows orange and blue when she holds her hands above her her heads and screams, “Fusion Summon!” When her monster descends, a chorus of angels can be heard throughout the Field. The music moves Yuzu to yet again flip and arc through the sky, which likewise appears to pressure Yuuya to outperform her.

“This is intense,” whispers Kotori. “I’ve never seen such an active duel before. This … this didn’t happen before.”

Yuuma nods in agreement. When he and Yuuya dueled, despite it being a rather quick match, neither of them had been so pressured to perform. They’d laughed, dancing around each other as partners in a routine. However, Yuzu and Yuuya looks anything but relaxed; they breathe heavily after each spin and jump, bodies shaking from the energy poured into making this match a true, breath-taking spectacle. It almost becomes painful to watch them outperform one another.

It no longer looks like fun. The crowd cheers for more, more - more fun, more tricks, more dangerous dueling. Yuuma hears Yuuya’s and Yuzu’s monsters cry as they resist the pressure.

_I don’t want to do this,_ Yuuma hears Yuuya say. _Help me. Stop me._

The dragons roar with the cries of the counterparts.

“This isn’t dueling,” whispers Yuuma. “This isn’t.” Dueling is meant to be fun and freeing. Duelists enjoy themselves on the field, smiling and laughing with their friends and monsters. _Yuuya_ believes in that kind of dueling, and Yuzu too. But this? Yuuma shakes his head, holding back salty tears. This isn’t dueling.

Yuuma leaps from this seat, this time throwing himself over the bars, and cries, “Yuuya, smile! Keep smiling!”

But over the shouts and chants of the audience – “More, more, more!” – it’s impossible for Yuuya or Yuzu to hear him. They’re too wrapped up in their performances, unable to escape the pressure of perfection.

Yuuma nearly leaps _over_ the bars separating the audience from the Field when Yuuya is thrown across the field, righting himself to turn the attack into a twist where his hands, blistered and red, catch the bar. He spins to bring himself back up on the platform. Each breath he takes makes his chest heave; he looks exhausted.

Kotori pulls him back into his seat after that. “You can’t stop the duel until they finish or pass out – that’s the rule, and we all had to obey it when you were convulsing on the field.”

Yuuma’s eyes widen. “He’s going to pass out, Kotori! Shouldn’t we stop it! This … this isn’t dueling!”

Kotori sighs. “Not unless you want him to be disqualified. He’s in a tournament –”

Yuuma wrestles free of Kotori’s grip long enough for him to spot Yuuya spotting him, eyes pinched in the corners and watery from tears. He doesn’t look like he’s having fun anymore. With a cry muted by the tyrannous screams of the audience, Yuuma rips off the Emperor’s Key, feels the cold metal against his sweaty palm. He stretches his arm back to wind up for the shot before he launches the Key across the field. At once there are cameras on the glimmering light of the Key sailing towards Yuuya.

However, Yuuma fails to realise just how off his aim is. The Key drops short and plummets several feet before Yuuya, a fallen star headed for the ground. Yuuya hears Yuuma’s scream and his eyes travel down to the Key tumbling to the ground. Quickly Yuuya follows it. He catches it by the string before using his other arm to grab hold of a bar; the motion appears to cause him pain when his body jerks straight, but he holds the Key up for everyone to see.

“Have hope! Kattobingu!” Yuuma screams.

His body falls forward, soul stretching suddenly. At once Yuuma feels Yuuya around him – the world goes bright for a moment before Yuuma notices the flow of a _connection_ between him and Yuuya. It’s tentative and weak at first as Yuuma adjusts to being _with_ someone and Yuuya tries to keep himself from showing such emotion on the stage; however, the awkward feeling dissipates to a force as strong as a tidal wave that knocks Yuuma over with every emotion Yuuya is feeling: worry, anger, disappointment, sadness, anxiety. The feelings beat away at Yuuma’s soul; he feels the pressure push down on his shoulders and sink him into the ground.

_Yuuya,_ Yuuma says, _this is how you feel?_

The bond between them quivers. _They want to see this duel … I have to show them a worthy duel._

Yuuma shakes his head. He leans into the connection; though his vision is blurry, and Yuuya’s figure is obscured before him, Yuuma stretches out his hands. There are bubbles of hope and happiness that push away at the anxious feelings. “Let’s finish this duel together. Let’s smile – together.”

Yuuma opens his eyes to Yuuya’s eyes. Their body aches with each twist as Yuuya forces himself to perform, jumping from platform to platform and riding upon his monsters. When their body touches the dragon, Yuuma feels the sadness seep through its skin and poison their minds. Yuuma wonders if there’s any way to stop Yuzu too, who across the field stands on shaky legs. She’s bitten her lip until it’s bled, wiped the excess on the back of her hand to hide the overexertion.

_We’re going to finish this duel,_ Yuuma says. _Let’s do this together, Yuuya._

When Yuuma first formed Zexal with Astral, the connection had been tentative. Yuuma isn’t sure how he and Yuuya manage to stay together then when their souls awkwardly crash into one another, fumbling for the slightest of connection that will bring them together. It happens though: Yuuma grabs Yuuya’s hands and fuses them together, and for the entire audience to see Yuuya’s body glows with a heavenly light that clears any and all pain from his face.

Zexal form Yuuya has hair like golden threads and dichromatic red and green eyes. Sparkles shimmer off their skin to turn the clown costume into a blue jumpsuit, the same colour as the pendulum swinging back and forth around their neck, and dazzled with golden sparkles like the Emperor’s Key that twists around the pendulum. With their souls locked in connection, Yuuma grabs Yuuya’s hand and together they hold up the cards; a smile bursts across their face as they turn to face the audience.

Across the field, Yuzu’s eyes have gone as wide as drums. She looks happier though, leaning back to breathe a sigh of relief.

Cocking his head, Yuuya turns to smile at her. “Ladies and Gentlemen, keeps your eyes on us for the main spectacle!”

This time when they jump, Yuuya and Yuuma synchronising their movements, the body doesn’t hurt. They feel light as air as they glide through the sky for one final, striking attack with Odd-Eyes. The attack shakes the core of the ground; Yuuya reaches out for Yuzu’s hand as they bring themselves up to the top platform.

The crowd bursts with excitement. Claps and cheers and laughter are heard around them as Yuuma, Yuuya, and Yuzu stand together. The connection falls at last into place; Yuuma holds on tight to Yuuya and, within their combined soul, kisses him on the lips.

“The winner is Sakaki Yuuya!” the announcer calls.

Yuuya’s heart rests easy. He holds tight to Yuuma until he and Yuzu have to exit the stage; the connection drops off with Yuuya stumbling forward and Yuuma falling back in his seat, and though neither of them can see each other, they both know the other is thinking. Yuuma’s soul feels light and Yuuya’s feels content.

For the first time that day, Yuuya smiles, properly, fully, to the melody of his burning heart.


	19. Congratulations! The End of the Tournament!

As soon as the match is over, Yuuma is up and out of his seat. He tears past attendees and hurdles over legs and backpacks on his way out. Taking the stairs two at a time, Yuuma hurries up to the exit towards the hallways of the arena, back to the door where duelists enter to sit in the lounge or prepare for matches. With the duel over, many guests are milling about the area, yet Yuuma weaves through them to make it to the small, locked door of the duelist’s lounge.

Yuuma throws open the door at once. Across the lounge is another door painted red and blue. The double-doors slide open to let Yuuya and Yuzu pass, both who give the officer a nod as a goodbye. Both duelists look exhausted: their hair is plastered to their sweaty foreheads, arms and legs shaking from the exertion of the duel.

Thus, when Yuuma charges at them with a warning war cry, Yuuya and Yuzu have but a moment to brace themselves from the impact with the floor. Yuuma catches them wince and at once he asks, “You’re not hurt, are you? Do we need to go to the doctor’s? I can call –”

“I’m fine,” Yuuya says, stretching his shoulder and shaking out his sore muscles. He flexes his fingers next; Yuuma watches to see if anything on Yuuya looks bent or out-of-place. He’d looked fine during the match, though perhaps that too was a trick of the eye. There are scratches and bruises up and down Yuuya and Yuzu’s arms, which they show him with wide grins and sparkling eyes.

“Could you  _ believe  _ that match?” Yuzu says. “We were so close, neck in neck, and then – and then a  miracle happened!”

“Miracle?”

“The stage was  _ glowing,”  _ she tells them. “You, Yuuya, were glowing! The crowd was cheering our names and clapping to it … and it felt nice. It felt better than any duel I ever had.” Nestling into Yuuya’s chest, Yuzu asks, “What happened? What did you do?”

Yuuma opens his mouth to exclaim, “We formed Zexal! It worked!” but Yuuya beats him to it.

“We formed a miracle.”

Yuzu doesn’t miss a beat. “We?”

Yuuya points first at himself, and then at Yuuma. “We.” Sitting upright, he fiddles with deck, methodically shuffling his cards. “I’m not sure what happened after that –”

“I can tell you!” Yuuma says.

“ – but it was the best feeling ever. It was like a weight was lifted from my shoulders –”

“That was me!”

“ – and a warm feeling was placed in my heart.”

Yuuma grabs Yuuya’s hands, stopping the shuffling. “That – was – me! Both of us, in fact! We both made that. We … we formed Zexal! The legendary power, when two souls cross over and become one, sharing power and strength and energy and  _ hope.  _ I didn’t know if it would work, not after last time that is, but I believed in us and the wish was granted.” Shaking Yuuya’s hands once, Yuuma cries, “We’re partners!”

“Partners?” Yuzu says. She looks from Yuuma to Yuuya, and then back to Yuuma with her eyes pinched tight. “Did you cheat to win that match?”

“Zexal power isn’t cheating!” Yuuma insists. “It’s like a helping hand that lifts burdens off your chest, or something that flowery! Zexal power gives a duelist hope! I gave Yuuya hope, and together we won the duel, fair and square. Besides” – and here Yuuma smirks – “I didn’t even use any Zexal Weapons, which might have been banned from the tournament. No Shining Draws, no Zexal Weapons. Just hope.”

Yuuya frowns at the floor. “So that means that feeling of happiness inside me … that was you?”

“I think?” Yuuma says. “I was holding your hand the entire time. Wait, don’t you remember what happened?”

“I remember the feeling of being pulled out of cold water, and then dueling, but there was a hand guiding me, and …” Yuuya’s face heats up as he remembers the end of the duel. “I guess it was you then. It was you all along.”

“Who else would it be?” Yuuma teases. He stands at once, reaching out both hands to get Yuzu and Yuuya back on their feet. “Come on, we should go celebrate until the final match. Let’s go get something to eat.”

Just as Yuuma turns around he bumps into something, or rather someone. Reiji is perhaps as tall as Chris and as stoic as him too. He has the older sibling face, serious, pensive, that makes Yuuma want to act out just so he can see another expression on Reiji’s face. Why Reiji has come down is a mystery to Yuuma; he hasn’t come down for anyone else’s matches. However, Reiji focuses on all three of them.

“Hello,” he greets. Yuuma groans; he  _ sounds  _ like Chris with his big brother voice.

“We’re off to get something to eat,” Yuuma tells him. “Do you … want to come along?”

Reiji raises one eyebrow. “I have a few questions about the recent duel –”

Yuuma knows where this conversation will end. He gives Reiji a gentle tug on his sleeve towards the cafeteria doors and says, “We’ll finish that conversation over food then. You don’t sound like you’re going to finish talking for a while now.”

Reiji opens his mouth and closes it like a fish out of water. Yuuya and Yuzu both snicker into their hands, but Yuuma ignores it. Reiji can eat with them; Reiji is Yuuya’s friend. Besides, as host of the tournament Yuuma is certain Reiji can be in the duelist’s wing, and nothing is stopping him from eating with them all.

With the decision settled, Yuuma tugs the ground through the swinging cafeteria doors and into a far quieter rooms. With most of the duelists in the lobby watching the matches, there are plenty of seats to choose from. Yuuma picks out a spot where they can see one of two TV screens to watch the Dennis vs. Masumi match. He then hurries along to get the largest ice cream float the cafeteria can make for him.

Once their meal is set and brought back to the table, and once everyone has at least taken one bite, Yuuma then lets Reiji talk.

“I’ve come to talk about what happened during the duel.”

After having this conversation with Yuzu, Yuuma knows exactly what to say: “Oh, you mean the Zexal Power?”

“That’s what you call it,” Reiji murmurs, more to himself that anyone seated before him. He takes a sip of water, then picks at the basket of fries before him. Yuuma had insisted no one was sitting at the table without first eating.

Yuuya speaks up from his curry, “Well, it’s not illegal.”

Reiji raises an eyebrow. “And why would it be?”

Yuzu looks around at them, looking worried after losing the match. “It … didn’t hurt anyone, and it didn’t have any extraordinary powers that could turn around the match.”

_ That’s ‘cause we didn’t use them,  _ thinks Yuuma.

“But,” Yuzu continues, “what it did do is bring peace to a duel that was getting out of hand. I felt under pressure in that duel; I needed to win, but more than that I needed to  _ perform.  _ When the Zexal Power appeared, it cleared away all of that. I felt happy. I could duel for myself for once.”

Yuuya pulls up the pendulum for everyone to see. He swings it back and forth, eyes watching the crystal swing from one side to the other. “It was like this pendulum. Yuzu and I were struggling, swinging too far to one side … and the Zexal Power pushed us away from that pressure, lifted the weights from our minds and shoulders. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”

Reiji nods. Folding his hands before him, he asks Yuuma, “Is this power common in Heartland? I’ve never heard of it before.”

Yuuma fishes around for his Emperor’s Key, before he realises it’s still hanging around Yuuya’s neck and wrapped around the pendulum. “It’s the power of the Emperor’s Key!”

“I see.” By Reiji’s big brother tone, Yuuma knows he’s meant to continue.

“The legendary power of Zexal can perform miracles. It happens when souls come together and transform – distant souls, I think the chant goes, but I bet if you trusted the person enough, you could do it.” Yuuma points at himself. “When I dueled with Yuuya, we tried to form Zexal and it backfired. I don’t think you can do it with your opponent; you’ve got be  _ with  _ them, not against them.”

Reiji nods. “It has conditions then.”

“I guess you could call them that,” Yuuma says. “And like, you have to trust the person before you form Zexal with them, otherwise it just won’t work, or it will go wrong.”

“What might ‘going wrong’ look like?”

Yuuma thinks about when he and Astral formed Zexal with Black Mist – and by extension Don Thousand – also inside Astral’s heart. It had been horrific: Astral had fought against them until he lost control and took over Yuuma. At once the connection became unhealthy, abusive even: Yuuma was thrown out of control, forced to remain with an entity that used his body for terrible, painful attacks. Though Yuuma doesn’t remember that part of the duel, Kotori later told him that his Zexal Power  _ attacked  _ itself, as if it too was sensing the abusive connection and tried to tear him and Astral apart.

“It just doesn’t work,” Yuuma says. “It’s got to be a healthy connection for the power to work.”

“Does this mean that the sole condition for forming Zexal is that you have to trust your partner?”

Yuuuma nods, then pauses to bite his lip. “It’s much more than trust, sometimes. Like, I trust a lot of people, but I don’t know if I could form Zexal with them. It has to be –  _ both  _ partners have to trust each other.”

“Mutual then.”

“Yeah, mutual. And then you have to be in an area that supports Parallel World energy, which is what Real Solid Vision seems to allow. And, and …” Yuuma tries to think of what else makes Zexal Power work. When he and Astral did it, they never thought about the conditions beyond the Parallel World energy. Zexal Power seemed to fall into them, becoming natural and normal. Thinking about the mechanics behind it demystifies it.

Reiji tilts his head towards him.

“And I don’t know,” Yuuma finishes. “Zexal just happens when partners trust each other and agree to work together. It’s not something anyone can do, but it’s not cheating to believe and have hope in one another.”

“I’m not saying it is,” Reiji tells him. “I’m merely curious what happened on the dueling field, as I had noticed the adverse effects of Entertainment dueling taking effect before you and and Yuuya formed Zexal. Tsukumo-kun –”

“Yuuma.”

“Tsukumo-kun, if this power has the ability to create miracles, would that mean it has conditions to ensure a duelist wins?”

_ Shit.  _ “Well I guess, but I didn’t do anything like that! I was  _ responsible  _ with my Zexal Power.”

Yuzu jumps in: “You think Yuuma could misuse the power to win himself a duel, right? I don’t think he would – he duels fair and square. Maybe that’s why only Yuuma has this power: because anyone else would get greedy with its abilities.”

It’s a twist that Yuuma doesn’t expect, but he rolls with it so he doesn’t have to tell Reiji about Astral. Zexal Power is fascinating and awesome, but Astral is someone important – someone that pangs Yuuma’s heart – that he doesn’t need to tell Reiji, or anyone else for that matter, about. If Reiji is as curious as it seems about the Zexal Power, Yuuma can be careful about what information he shares. He certainly could have altered the outcomes of the duel, but … but he didn’t want to. Yuuma didn’t want Yuuya to win over Yuzu; he wanted them to duel with smiles on their faces.  _ That  _ had been his wish.

Since then, Reiji has gone quiet. He picks at his fries before he pushes up his glasses. “In your next duel, Yuuya, will you be using Zexal Power?”

Yuuya looks to him. “Um, I’m not sure. Yuuma, are we going to do it again?”

Yuuma shrugs. “It helped, didn’t it? But, why does Real Solid Vision have that effect? Couldn’t you fix that before the matches?”

“It’s a side effect of being a performer, not of the Real Solid Vision itself. Entertainment duels are pressuring; duelists are forced to perform to inhuman standards to show themselves off to their monsters and audience. That isn’t the work of any technology or magic - it’s the business of dueling.”

“Well couldn’t you fix  _ that  _ then?” Yuuma says. “Tell people to watch peacefully and stop screaming at duelists to do better. That sounds  _ easy  _ to fix.”

Yuzu shakes her head. “It’s like a phenomenon, or a cultural thing: Maiami citizens love entertainment. It’s not their fault that duelists crack under pressure. It’s just what happens in such duels. I don’t think that side effect meant to occur, but it’s been around for ages –”

“And no one’s bothered to change it?” Yuuma asks. “Ray couldn’t have fixed that glitch too?”

Reiji turns to look at Yuuma. “Ray?”

“Yeah, Ray, the girl who turned back time –” Yuuma stops, swallowing hard at the eyes turned on him. Yuuya, and he supposes Yuzu, have known that he learned of the secrets of Maiami. However, Yuuma realises that Reiji hadn’t, and now the lethal stare on Yuuma feels far too harsh.  Yuuma shivers under Reiji’s gaze and says, “I know about the time-reversing magic.”

“How?” Reiji asks.

“I –”

“I told him,” Yuuya says. “If he knows about my counterparts, he might as well have known about the fate of Maiami City. It’s better that he knows anyways – it means he knows how to ensure that those events don’t happen again. It’s why Yuuma’s Zexal Power was so beneficial because it eliminated the effects of Entertainment dueling without reversing time and forcing us all to forget, or live with, our errors.”

Reiji doesn’t say more. Yuuma wonders how much Reiji knows about Ray. Yuuya has told him about everyone’s roles in the Dimensional War, yet Yuuma doesn’t remember much about what Reiji was doing when Yuuya’s counterparts were loose and Zarc was tearing apart the dimensions. 

“Zexal Power isn’t a weapon,” Yuuma says. “It’s like positive magic that can make miracles happen. With great power comes great responsibility though.” Yuuma can barely get out the next words through his giggling. “That means I’ll do my best, kattobingu, and bring hope and smiles to this world.”

For the first time, Yuuma sees Reiji smile. It’s not much wider than anything Kaito can do, a quick flick in the corners of his mouth, yet Yuuma loves it all the same. “Thank you.” Standing, Reiji bows to them. “There are places I need to be and” – he checks his watches – “places some of you need to be. The match starts soon – best of luck.”

Yuzu smiles, Yuuya waves, and Yuuma breathes a sigh of relief. They’re OK; Zexal is safe once again. Turning back to Yuuya and Yuzu, who are shoving their faces full of the rest of their meals, Yuuma says, “I thought he was going to take the power away, which would be impossible since Zexal Power is invisible and can’t just be taken away like a toy.”

“He just wanted to check in with us,” Yuzu assures him. “Reiji’s a good host - fair, kind, understanding.”

“He’s not like Heartland then,” Yuuma says, and laughs to himself. “Reiji … he’s cool.”

Yuuya laughs. “That he is.”

They finish up their meals before rushing back into the duelist’s hall. By this point, Yuuya only has a few minutes to check himself in for the duel and dress up for the event. As he hurries to the doors leading into the pre-duel room, Yuuma shouts to him, “Wear something flashy! Wow the audience with your  _ egao!” _

Yuuya laughs and disappears through the door.

He and Yuzu wave goodbye before they exit the doors. Yuzu looks around the area, then turns to Yuuma. “Where’s Mizuki-chan?”

“Taking pictures on the pier. She should be coming in – how many photos  _ can  _ you take of one place?”

“We should go get her,” Yuzu says. “That way she’s sitting with us for the final match.”

Yuuma sighs. “Kotori’s so slow whenever you tell her you have to get going. I’m sure she’d come back for the match when she’s ready.”

Yuzu is insistent. “Mizuki-chan wouldn’t want to miss this match, and it’s best if we’re all sitting together.”

Yuuma points out that Kotori could be anywhere, but Yuzu ignores him and heads out the entrance doors. Having not been outside since the morning, Yuuma doesn’t expect the blinding sun that hits his eyes. He shade himself with his arms and squints around the pier; there aren’t many people outside, all of them inside it seems for the final match of the tournament, yet none of the figures are small enough to be Kotori.

“Maybe she already went in,” Yuuma says. “Here, I’ll text her –”

The words die in his throat at he spots a motorbike, lavishly red, speeding towards him. Yuuya had told him there were no City duelists at this tournament; even if he hadn’t, Yuuma recognises that motorbike anywhere. He swallows hard as the bike screeches to a halt before him. Akari yanks off her helmet and nearly drops it on the cement before you. She’s breathing hard, face red and eyes wide, and the only word she manages to get out is, “You!”

“Sis …” Yuuma says, looking from side to side for an escape route. 

“You … why … Yuuma, what the  _ hell  _ are you doing?”

Yuuma stiffens at once. Next to him, Yuzu’s eyes are wide and unsure; she looks from him to Akari, and then back to him, and finally to Kotori who comes running towards them, stopping only when she too realises whose bike that is and whose sibling is standing glaring daggers at Yuuma.

Yuuma looks at Kotori too, and with an angered cry says, “Kotori, you called my sis?”

“I did not!” Kotori insists.

“You’re all over the news, Yuuma! I saw you dueling, saw you  _ pass out while dueling.  _ You didn’t think to mention this to anyone? Either of your family members? We thought you were having a sleepover!”

“I kinda was!” Yuuma says. “Only it was here, at a tournament! I didn’t lie!”

“That is a lie, Yuuma, and you know it!”

Yuuma doesn’t back down. “It was a little lie!”

Akari doesn’t snap. She steps off the bike, setting her helmet down on the seat as carefully as her shaking hands will allow her. Her eyes hold more fire than Yuuma has ever seen; her long, red hair whips in her face. The ponytail it sits in droops like she hadn’t had time to do her hair properly. Yuuma realises, in fact, that Akari looks like she rushed over here this morning.

“If you were worried I was hurt in that duel, you could’ve come yesterday,” Yuuma says. “Just saying –”

“I didn’t see the news until today,” she snaps back. “This morning’s feature news was that a Heartland duelist participating in a Maiami competition was injured and disqualified from a semi-final match, but is thankfully unharmed –”

“That means I’m fine!” Yuuma says.

“You ran out on us, Yuuma, to a tournament across the fucking bridge. You lied to Gran and I – in fact, you’ve been lying for a while, haven’t you?” She holds out her hand. “You stole my transit pass, which I have been looking for for weeks. You skip class daily. You aren’t going to Shark’s or Kaito’s after class – you’re going to Maiami to that ridiculous duel school, aren’t you?” 

“It’s not ridiculous! I’m a better duelist!”

“Then what the hell happened yesterday when you passed out?”

“That was an  _ accident,”  _ Yuuma says. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing, Sis.”

“I am? Yuuma, you’ve lied to Gran and I so many times that I can’t even think of what to say. Why did you disobey us? Why did you do this to yourself?”

“Because I wanted to.” Yuuma stomps his foot and stares down his sister. His fingers hurt from how hard he’s clenching them into his palms. “Because I wanted to. I want to be an Entertainment duelist. I want to hang out with Yuuya and Yuzu. I want to keep going to duel school and becoming a better duelist, and I’ve  _ proved  _ to you that I can handle it.”

Akari shakes her head. “We’re going home.”

Yuuma grounds himself. “I’m staying here.”

“You are so stubborn, Yuuma –”

“And you’re so protective! Geez, Akari, if I’m still standing so far doesn't that mean what I did didn’t kill me? I’m fine. Better, even. I wanted to be an Entertainment duelist and I  _ studied  _ for it. I’m a teacher, even! I teach young children like Haruto’s age how to duel! I can’t leave that just because you got on your motorbike to come and tell me so.

“There’s one last duel today that I have to see. My friend –”

Akari frowns. “The one you kissed on multidimensional television?”

“Yes, and that’s Yuuya. I have to see him duel, Akari! Please! I’ll come home with you, on your motorbike even! But please,  _ please!  _ In fact, if you try to take me away I’ll just run. I don’t want you and Gran babying me. I don’t care if my grades in school suck – it’s not going to matter when I become a duelist. But dueling is my passion and I want to try hard in that!”

At this, Akari rolls her eyes. She seems to relax a bit; Yuuma smiles. 

“I’m never going to stop berating you for doing poorly in school.”

“Vector’s the same way,” Yuuma says.

“He should not be your role model.” She sighs, shoulders slumping. “If I take you away from this, you’ll just sneak out again, right? I’m not chaining you to the house. Mum didn’t do that with me when I got my motorcycle license –”

“And dueling is way safer than motorbikes!” Yuuma says. “Dueling  _ on  _ a motorbike is even safer than just motorbiking because you can’t go over a certain speed!” Yuuma sticks out his hand and says, “I’m not going home until this match is done, and I’m still going to duel school.”

“Skipping class is not allowed,” Akari says. “Neither is lying, which you did – many, many times. But we’ll talk about it on the ride home. You are coming home tonight, whether you agree to that one or not. You’re going to explain exactly what’s happened, but I won’t hold you back from seeing this duel. I can’t imagine you can do anything stupid from the bleachers.” She frowns. “Do not make me rethink this decision. I am still pissed at you.”

She holds out her hand and Yuuma shakes it. Akari doesn’t let go though; she pulls him into a tight, crushing hug that threatens to snap Yuuma’s bones. Akari whispers in his ear, “Have hope, right?”

Yuuma nods. “Kattobingu, Sis.” 

They pull apart, feeling far less awkward than before. Akari pushes him towards Yuzu and Kotori, neither who have said a word in shock of the epic brawl that occurred. Yuuma laughs; Kotori has seen him and Akari get into way worse fights, particularly after she found out what happened during the Barian Invasion. Yuuma thinks Akari took this rather well, not that she would have gotten her way anyways. She’s not nearly as stubborn as he is.

“That’s your sister?” Yuzu says, peering over his head to catch Akari drive off. “Is she leaving you here?”

“She’s coming back,” Yuuma says. He doesn’t bother to look back; Akari will be there when he’s done, and he’ll go home and tell her and Gran all about his adventures and misadventures. “Sis is persistent, but she does care, and she’s smart enough not to drag me back home. For one, I’d never forgive her if I missed Yuuya’s duel.”

“Are we missing it?” Kotori asks. She looks ready to pull forward and dash down the steps; Yuuma would follow her, but he holds back and skips through the stadium doors. With the match having started, the lobby is nearly empty. Yuuma takes up Kotori’s offer at that point: he rushes forward down the hallway, screeching to a halt before the doors of the stadium. Yuuma can hear the audience cheering Yuuya and Dennis’ name, growing louder and stronger with each second. The voices themselves have a powerful hold on a duelist’s emotions. Yuuma remembers being on the field and feeling the indirect energy of his fans. He didn’t know exactly what they were doing, and his mind was focusing on too much to process anything, but at least for a moment Yuuma can hear the energy of the crowd.

“Are we missing it?” Kotori repeats.

“No,” Yuuma says. He steps through the doorways and looks up at the performance before him: Yuuya and Dennis locked in battle, twisting through the air in risky acrobatics. Their hands catch on bars and wires that threaten to drop them onto the floor that bubbles with lava. Yuuya hasn’t seen this field before, and he’s glad he hasn’t: there’s heat and lava where fields once stood. Of all the materials that represent Dennis and Yuuya, Yuuma doesn’t think fire or lava is one of them. 

“What’s with the lava?” he asks Yuzu on their way up to their seats. Masumi waves them over, so they take spots at the top of the section where Yuuma can be up high with Yuuya. 

“Reiji had a lava field in his last tournament,” Yuzu says. “I guess he brought it back for this tournament too.”

Lava bubbles at Yuuya and Dennis’ feet. Neither duelist has chipped away the other’s LP. They are evenly matched, facing each other on a long strip of unseared land which threatens to melt away from the heat. Yuuya is dressed as brightly as he can: white cargo pants with two patch-on clovers at the legs; a red shirt that says ‘Did You Remember to Egao Today?’; and a wide-brim straw hat that doesn’t sit on his head, but rather hangs on his back with its string around Yuuya’s neck. Dennis is no less ostentatiously dressed in a pair of chaps and a plaid shirt, looking like he belongs on a ranch instead of on a dueling field. Both of them are sweating from the heat despite the match starting minutes prior.

“It doesn’t really fit, does it?” Masumi says. “This isn’t like either of them.”

Yuuma smiles. “Yuuya has his egao and kattobingu though. He looks like he’s having fun.”

It’s a slight overstatement: Yuuya still has a pinched look to his face that draws his features together. Dennis appears unfazed by the effects of the Entertainment duel, swinging from a trapeze with his Entermage monsters. Yuuma thinks both of them might be feeling the heat from the duel, though with Dennis’ flair Yuuya seems sucked into performing for him.

“Dennis looks … happy?” Kotori says. “Does Entertainment dueling not hurt him?”

“It does, I think,” Yuzu says. “He’s just better at hiding it … not that that’s a good thing.”

Dennis and Yuuya’s dueling styles are on par like his and Yuzu’s: neither of them can get any strong offense out to deal more than a hundred or so LP. The duel is fast-paced with quick comebacks, though no one ever seems to get an advantage. The longer it goes on, the tireder Yuuya becomes. When he draws, his arms quiver under the weight of the duel disk. When he jumps and spins, his movements appear to exert extreme amount of energy; he wipes the sweat from his eyes and takes a deep breath before Dennis.

After a while, the effects begin to show on Dennis: his eyes grow wider, more haunted. It’s as if the effects unhinge him, tearing apart such a gentle show. Yuuma wonders if this happens to top duelists only because they can’t beat their opponent fast enough. Should Reiji implement shorter duels then, just to make sure that these duels don’t become so gruesome?

Yuuma wonders if he should form Zexal with Yuuya. It’s not cheating, especially if he doesn’t use any of the effects, but …

_ I’ll just be with him. _

Yuuma grips the Emperor’s Key, holding it tight. He feels the hearts and souls of every person in the stadium, though their connections are weak save for his friends sitting next to him. Yuuya’s soul beats the strongest of them all: the heart of a born Entertainer, desperately beating to the rhythm of the world around him. Yuuma dives at Yuuya and hopes that the connection with form.

It does. Tentatively at first, with Yuuma crashing into Yuuya and hoping that somehow they can stay together. The connection dips and spins as Yuuma finds Yuuya’s hands and his eyes lighten to a world filled with shoujo bubbles. 

They are together.

The bond shakes with each of the tremors from Yuuya’s body. He panics, eyes growing wide and trembling hands thrown up to stop Yuuma from coming closer.

“I-I’m fine!” Yuuya says. “I can’t always form Zexal with you!”

“Zexal power isn’t cheating,” Yuuma says, “at least not what I’m doing. This … this is just being with you. I’m not going to tell you how to duel and win your match, and I’m not going to pull out any OP  _ tactics.  _ I’m just going to be with you.” Yuuma stretches out a hand. His fingers touch Yuuya and pin pricks shoot up Yuuma’s arm. Yuuya winces as well. “I don’t know what that was,” Yuuma says, chuckling, “but here, come closer.”

Yuuya steps closer; on the dueling field, his body leaps, eyes glowing. Yuuma brings Yuuya closer until he too can feel the pressure on Yuuya’s shoulders and the strain on his legs. Yuuma feels the piercing pain behind Yuuya’s eyes, complemented by a pulsing headache, and he grounds himself next to Yuuya. No matter what happens, Yuuma tells himself that he won’t leave Yuuya’s side. He’ll bear this with him; this pain cannot be burdened alone. 

The change is slow at first. Yuuma groans each time Yuuya’s feet hit the platform and bounce off to the next place. Meanwhile, his mind whirs for any possible combo. Yuuya’s Pendulum deck always seemed invincible until someone else could best it. Dennis is a valiant opponent: his deck is technical, meant to combat Performapals. Yuuma wonders if he can help Dennis too, though he soon realises that the only way he’ll be able to help everyone is to help Yuuya finish the duel.

_ Xyz Summon!  _ a  voice calls out to them. 

_ No, Synchro! Synchro! _

_ He doesn’t have any Tuners, idiot! I hate to say it, but he’s Xyz Summoning. _

Yuuya shivers at the voices. Yuuma listens to them in joy. The counterparts are there, alive, speaking through their dragons to Yuuya. 

“You should listen to them,” Yuuma says. “Let’s do it together.”

Their bond comes together; Yuuma becomes one with Yuuya and one with every part of Yuuya, no matter how distant. Yuuma feels Yuuya latch onto something else within him too. With a cry, Yuuya Special Summons, Special Summons, and Xyz Summons. The card glows as Yuuya slams it down on his duel disk.

“From the prismatic citadel of Heartland comes a monster to drag out the darkness. Rise, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!”

Wings made of stained glass erupt from a beast black as the night. It shoots out from the clouds, descending on the dueling field with an earth-shaking battle cry. Yuuya leaps just before the monster passes by, stretching out an arm to catch on one of the many points along Dark Rebellion’s neck. He uses the other points as foot rungs to climb up to Dark Rebellion’s head. Dragons’ cries can be heard around the stadium; the lava bursts slow in the presence of the great dragon.

“I am one with the dragons, one with you,” Yuuya whispers. Then aloud, he points a hand down at Dennis. “I’ll stop the pressure in our hearts. Let’s end this with a smile!”

The dragon dives - a direct attack that instead of piercing Dennis and shooting him across the field, instead  _ saves  _ him. Yuuya grabs Dennis before the platform can drop him. Yuuma sees them smile, feels it deep within his heart that beats in sync to every part of Yuuya.

“Let’s keep smiling,” he tells Dennis. 

Within his soul room, Yuuya looks up at Yuuma, eyes lidded from the strain of the duel, and whispers, “Thanks. You saved me.”

Yuuma giggles, holding Yuuya as tight as he can. He pulls him into a crushing hug, reminiscent of when Akari hugged him as well, and whispers, “Have hope, Yuuya! Kattobingu, and you’ll always do your best!”

The bond pulses warmly. Yuuma wonders if it’s love, but he can’t put a finger on what precious feeling he holds for Yuuya. It’s more than love: Yuuma loves Yuuya more than he loves anything else, as much as he loves Astral, and Yuuma can’t imagine ever separating from someone who brings such joy and happiness into his life. Yuuma keeps the love between them, fiery hot, until Yuuya has to break away to receive his winning prize.

“I’ll be right here!” Yuuma says. “Promise!”

Yuuya holds out one hand, unwavering. He pushes his fist into Yuuma’s and laughs. “Promise.”

Yuuma wakes up to Kotori and Yuzu shaking him awake, shouting, “He won! He won, Yuuma!” On the dueling field, Yuuya and Dennis stand together, holding hands up to the crowd that rains down praise and happiness to them. They both look exhausted, standing there on shaking legs and with heavy breath. The volcanic dueling field melts away to the natural landscape of a stadium with soft grass under their feet and metal paneling around the lower sections of the duel. The platforms and trapezes above disappear in the wind.

From the main duelist entrance comes Reiji. Unlike when Yuuma met him that morning, Reiji has since then freshened up into a black suit. Instead of a tie, his red scarf is tied round his neck; it blows in the breeze with such grace that Yuuma wonders if it’s a trick of the eye. He doesn’t have a massive trophy, or anything else flashy in his hands. In fact, he has nothing as he comes to stand between Dennis and Yuuya. He throws up first Yuuya’s hand and then Reiji’s.

“Please congratulate your Maiami Champion and Co-Champion, Sakaki Yuuya and Dennis Macfield!”

The crowd goes wild. Yuuma stands up to clap as loud as he can, shouting out to Yuuya. Yuzu and Kotori shout with him, creating a melody that somehow, even in the thrill of the moment, catches Yuuya’s eyes. He looks up at them and gives them a quick thumbs-up before turning back to Reiji. Two officers that Yuuma hadn’t seen enter with Reiji appear with medals on silver platters. The medals are then slipped over Yuuya and Dennis’ heads. 

The camera zooms in on the moment. The medals are gold and silver respectively, both fastened to a braided ribbon in which Yuuma can see four distinct colours woven together: red, purple, green, and pink - like the dragons, like the cities, like the counterparts. Yuuya and Dennis both duck their heads to receive their awards. They hold the medals up for the dozens of cameras that circle around them to capture the event.

Photos are then taken from every angle. Reiji is dragged into the photo, standing stiffly between Dennis and Yuuya who both make silly faces for the professional photos. The mood lightens, the dark clouds disappear, and the dueling field no longer seems like such a worrying place. As soon as the photographers begin to disperse and Yuuya and Dennis make their way back to the duelist’s lobby, Yuuma hops out of his seat and hurries down towards the exit.

“Come on! We’ve got to meet Yuuya!” he says.

Yuzu is hot on his heels, looking ready to tackle Yuuya to the ground. Kotori hurries on behind them, followed by Masumi who joins their party. Yuuma sprints on the breakaway towards the duelist’s lobby; the door is open and already people are exiting.

Yuuma pushes through the ground to end up on the other side. The screens show the leaderboard and the lights are on. In the centre stands Dennis and Yuuya, answering questions from fellow duelists who have stuck around to congratulate the winners personally. Yuuma sees Yuuya and dives at once; for once, his aim doesn’t miss, and he takes both Yuuya and Dennis down.

“You won! You won!” Yuuma cheers, hugging Yuuya tight. “You did it! You did it!”

Yuzu falls down next to him and gathers both of them in her arms. “Congratulations, Yuuya! I saw every moment that happened.” Dropping her voice, she repeats, “Every single moment.”

“We didn’t cheat,” Yuuma insists, voice muffled from being shoved against Yuuya’s neck. He plants a quick kiss to Yuuya’s jaw before he lets go enough to peek over at Dennis. While narrowly avoiding Yuzu’s bear hug, Yuuma still has hold of Dennis by his shirt sleeve. “And you! Your duel was spectacular! What an Entertainer you are!”

“I aim to please,” Dennis jokes. “I’m happy the match turned out so well.” His eyes glimmer with glee. “Thanks for joining us, Yuuma-kun!”

Yuuma laughs. “I’m always with Yuuya!”

Yuzu gets them up on their feet so Yuuya and Dennis can finish answering questions. To her surprise, duelists begin to ask her and Yuuya for answers too. Reiji lets them know that he can break up the crowds if be if they all need to be getting home. Yuuma thinks about Akari waiting for him, and he laughs abashedly. There is no worrying feeling in his stomach.

“I’ve gotta tell my sister about us,” he tells Yuuya. “She knows, but she’s … not angry. Not yet, angry. She says she is, but really she was just worried.”

“You probably shouldn’t have lied to her for as long as you did,” Kotori says. 

“If I had told her, I would have never made it as a teacher at You Show. Besides, that’s in the past – I’ll focus on the present. I’ll apologise for the lying and tell her that I’ll now let her know when I’m going to duel school.”

Yuzu says, “Wait, she’ll let you keep dueling? But she sounded so angry …”

“Sis is like that, but she always means well. She’d rather I duel than get myself into other mischief.” Stretching his arms above his head, Yuuma says, “Kotori, are you coming home? Sis can probably give you a ride.”

Kotori looks from Yuuma to Yuzu. “I think … I’ll stay a bit longer.”

Yuuma raises an eyebrow. “With who?”

Kotori’s cheeks grow red. “With Yuzu, who else do you think?”

Yuuma shrugs. “I dunno, but I guess you couldn’t come home with me anyways because Akari doesn’t have room on her bike, so good think Yuzu can help you.” Yuuma laughs. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow, right?”

“Is Akari-san going to let you skip class to teach?” Kotori asks.

“‘Course she is!” Yuuma says. “I’d skip class anyways!”

Yuuma waves goodbye to everyone, hugs Yuuya and Yuzu and Kotori tight one more time, and then Dennis too because he insists. They wave goodbye until Yuuma, in an attempt to walk backwards and wave at everyone, walks into the wall. He blushes and laughs it off, then turns around and slips through the door. The stadium is busy both inside and out as people mill out and back to their houses. Yuuma spots his sister at the front of the stadium, parking her motorbike where she shouldn’t be. 

She throws him a helmet. “Get on, dork.”

Yuuma slips on the helmet and buckles it under his chin. Akari checks to make sure it’s tight – Yuuma sticks his tongue out at her for babying him – and, once they are clear to go, Akari zips down the street. She dodges between groups of people and revs her engine at them when they don’t move over. Yuuma expects traffic control officers to pull her over for nearly running over several families; however, if Akari already got the motorbike on the bridge to the stadium, Yuuma guesses that Akari can do what she wants on her way out.

The ride home is silent but not upsetting. As Akari picks up speed on the highway out of Maiami and to Heartland, Yuuma clings tight to his sister. He imagines being with Yuuya on the dragon and the feeling of the wind on his face. There’s a feeling of hope in being free to travel through the cities. No matter where he goes, Yuuma always knows he’ll be free.


	20. "It'll be OK!" Anxious Feelings of Entertainment Dueling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for the late chapter >///< it has been a busy week back to school - should get better soon though ^^

Akari doesn’t say a word on the drive home. Yuuma knows this is suspicious because Akari always has something to say, and doesn’t shy away from bragging about what she’s done during the day. If she’s not bragging, she’s complaining, which she doesn’t do either. The bike weaves between the streets and Akari keeps her focus on driving. It’s not impossible for Akari to drive and talk – in fact, she does it all the time – so Yuuma  _ knows  _ the behaviour is suspicious.

He opts not to say anything though. The ride feels like being on Dark Rebellion, and Yuuma enjoys the memory until the bike stops and Akari gets off. She looks at him, eyes hard and red-rimmed, and storms inside.

“Are you going to talk to me now?” Yuuma says as he follows her up the stairs. “Because if not I  _ really  _ need to text Vector and ask him for his cheat notes on a test.”

Akari stiffens. “What is there to talk about?” she says, voice hollow. “I can’t keep you safe, and you’re too reckless to protect yourself. What can I even do to help you when you’ve already made up your mind?” She opens the door and attempts to close it in his face; Yuuma sticks his foot out just before it shuts, grimacing as the metal digs into the side of his foot. He follows her into the kitchen, where Akari sets to making tea. She refuses to look at him, but Yuuma knows she’s crying.

“Keep me safe?” he repeats. “Who said you have to do that? And who said I need protecting? I didn’t  _ die  _ –”

“You almost did,” Akari says. Her hands tremble. She grips the counter to keep them steady. “You fell and by some miracle didn’t hurt yourself. I know you want to keep dueling, and that there’s nothing I can do to stop you, but … but I don’t want to lose you. You’re reckless and naive sometimes, and that worries me.”

She turns around to face him, wiping the tears from her eyes. “What am I supposed to do, Yuuma? How can I trust you?”

“Have hope?” Yuuma says with a shrug.

Akari’s eyebrows furrow. “That’s ridiculous.”

“And it’s true!” Yuuma says. “I don’t throw myself into situations unless I know I can make it better –”

“Bullshit.”

“You’re just scared, Sis!” Yuuma holds up the Emperor’s Key. “This is my hope. When I’m scared, I  _ kattobingu _ because if I stayed scared nothing good would come from it. You’ve gotta  _ kattobingu  _ too, like me!” With a laugh, Yuuma slips off the ring. He bounces it between his hands before tossing it up and away, towards Akari who frantically catches it.

“Now you have  _ kattobingu!”  _ Yuuma says.

Akari holds the necklace away from her like it could be cursed. “This isn’t making anything better. I’m worried that you’re going to hurt yourself, and that’s not even touching on how you’ve been skipping class for this. That is wrong, Yuuma. You need to think of a new plan.”

“It’s not like we do anything exciting for the last hour of class anyways,” Yuuma says. “It’s boring being there. Vector and Alit and I usually just fool around and pass notes.”

Akari rolls her eyes. “That doesn’t mean you can skip. Talk to your coach and ask if he can teach for part of the class, and maybe you can teach for the later part –”

Yuuma crosses his arms. “And then I’ll barely make it to  _ my  _ class. I wasn’t skipping because I  _ wanted  _ to, but because I  _ had  _ to.”

“Not good enough, Yuuma,” Akari says. “You’ve got two weeks of summer break left to figure out what you’ll do. Maybe classes can be changed … maybe you can’t teach. You can’t just skip school though, and I’d like to think your coach would agree with me. I’ll even help you with it, if you need to.”

Yuuma slumps forward. He leans against the fridge and looks down, muttering, “How can you possibly help me? That just sounds like a nice way of making yourself feel better for stopping me.”

Akari rolls her eyes. “Stop being so melodramatic.” She lays her hand on his shoulder; Yuuma leans towards her. “Chin up. When I said that, I meant I’ll talk to the coach personally. Maybe I can help him figure something out. I don’t want you to quit your job, but you can’t put dueling first, at least not until you’re done with school.”

“You can quit at the end of junior high,” Yuuma says.

Akari’s hand becomes a tight pressure on Yuuma’s shoulder. “You are going to high school as well. That’s a requirement in this household.”

Yuuma slumps forward; Akari’s hand becomes the only thing keeping Yuuma upright as he hangs his body forward. What Akari says only sounds fair in some distant, non-dueling country where people go to college to get jobs. Yuuma lives in  _ this  _ world where he’s going to be a professional duelist, and he’s certain not every duelist on the circuits has finished high school. However, he can’t fight Akari’s words: now that she knows he’s enrolled at You Show, Yuuma won’t be able to sneak away from her. He’s caught.

He’s trapped.

But Yuuma still feels the wriggling sensation of freedom in his heart, so he holds himself a bit more upright before Akari drops his deadweight, and he says, “I’ll do anything just so I can keep going to You Show. It’s really important to me, Sis.”

Akari’s lips twitch up in a smile. “I know. I did see you kiss Yuuya on the lips on multidimensional television.”

Yuuma’s cheeks go red as tomatoes. He pulls himself upright and out of Akari’s grip, steeling her with a glare that only makes his sister’s grin widen. “That too,” Yuuma says. “Yuuya’s important to me too!”

“I know that too,” Akari says. She pulls him into a hug, this time gentler and with her hands rubbing his back. Other than back at the stadium, Yuuma can’t remember the last time he hugged his sister, ate dinner with his sister, or even had a  _ conversation  _ with her. His life has been non-stop dueling and studying, taking trains morning and night to get across the river to Maiami. A twinge of pain appears in Yuuma’s heart as Akari draws him closer, resting her chin atop his head.

Yuuma realises he’s missed Akari too. All this time he’s been away from her, and she never questioned his disappearances. She let him go with Shark and Kaito, when in reality Yuuma was with Yuuya and Yuzu, and Akari never said a word. Yuuma wonders if perhaps some of Akari’s protectiveness comes from her desire to be closer with him; now feeling that longing, Yuuma lets Akari hold him for a while longer before he complains that she’s suffocating him.

She lets him go with an abashed smile. “No more lying,” she says, holding out her fist.

Yuuma meets hers with a strong bump. “Promise.”

She lets him off after that, hurrying him up the stairs and calling up, “I sure hope you aren’t serious about missing homework. I know your friends well enough to know which ones get shitty grades too, and Vector is not who you should be cheating from.”

Yuuma laughs and closes the door behind him. He takes a deep breath, filling himself with air like a balloon, before he sinks down to the floor. 

He’s home.

He’s home, not a winner of the tournament, but a winner of Entertainment. Yuuya told him that he’d pass the message on to Reiji about the pressure of Entertainment duels, and hopefully Reiji will put greater emphasis on researching what creates the terrible side effects of Entertainment duels. Until then, Yuuya thinks that there won’t be any tournaments. They’ll continue to use Real Solid Vision but increase safety measures to cancel out the technology after a certain period of time. Yuuya told him that Entertainment duels will become more safe thanks to what they’ve learned during this tournament.

His D-Pad pings with new messages. According to Kotori, there are already viral videos of him and Yuuya forming Zexal together, of him and Yuuya kissing during a time that Yuuma doesn’t remember there being cameras, of Yuuya dueling in Zexal form. Yuuma wonders if he might be the next internet sensation along with Yuuya.

_ Don’t get so full of yourself,  _ Kotori says.  _ What you don’t want is someone trying to research Zexal power. Thank goodness you don’t scream that anymore when you transform. _

Yuuma blushes.  _ WELL IT’S STILL A COMPLIMENT,  _ he says before he realises it’s all in caps.  _ I mean zexal internet sensation is still a pretty cool thing! _

_ It is,  _ Kotori admits. She sends him one more picture of him and Yuuya on the ground after Yuuya’s duel with Yuzu. The photo shows him and and Yuuya looking at each other, in a way Yuuma can only describe as ‘looking-looking’. Yuuya has caught his eyes and held him in a heavenly stare.

“When did someone take these photos …?” Yuuma asks aloud. He puts away his D-Pad and spreads out his deck on the floor. He spots the cards he had planned on using to duel Yuuya and his heart sinks at losing that opportunity. He hadn’t been able to duel Yuuya until the end, even if he’d been with him every step of the way. 

_ Next time,  _ Yuuma thinks,  _ I’ll be ready to duel him. Whether we’re together or against each other, I’ll always stand by Yuuya. _

Yuuma pushes together his cards, setting ‘Hi-Five the Sky’ at the top. In his Extra Deck, Yuuma pulls out his Fusion card. He holds them together, wondering if perhaps there’s another deck he can create, a deck that might reach out to  _ all  _ of Yuuya. 

Yuuma wants to learn how to Fusion Summon. He wants to learn how to Synchro and Pendulum too. Hope’s archetype supports all of it, and if not Yuuma will find someone to fund it. Yuuma wants to match Yuuya’s skills, take on every part of him, duel until they collide and transform again. He’ll need to learn more from Shuuzou and practice as much as he can, but Yuuma knows he can do it. He can even ask for help – Yuuya has friends who can teach him Synchro Summoning, and both Yuuya and Dennis are Pendulum duelists.

Hopping up on his bed, Yuuma nestles into the covers with his Key and his cards. He swings on the hammock, wondering what it might be like to no longer have to hide everything from his sister. He could have Yuuya over at his house, and Yuzu too! He could bring his friends to Heartland one day! He won’t have to live a lie anymore.

* * *

Before duel class, Yuuma heads over to Kaito’s. Well, in truth Kaito  _ invited _ him over, saying, “Get over here. I need to talk to you,” at a very early hour of the morning. Yuuma had woken up to the text that morning, at a far more decent hour of the day, and thrown his clothes on before dashing out the door. His stomach grumbles and he reminds himself to ask Kaito for breakfast.

Yuuma tries to imagine what Kaito could want to talk to him about besides the obvious: the tournament, the Zexal power, the duels. It seems like everyone in Heartland had their channel tuned into the duel.

At the door, Haruto greets him, throwing it open before Yuuma has a chance to knock. “Yuuma, good morning!” he greets, beckoning him inside.

Yuuma steps through with a wide smile. “Morning, Haruto! Where’s your brother?”

Haruto chuckles. “Where do you think he is?”

Yuuma rolls his eyes. He leans close to Haruto and whispers, “Can I have a snack? Kaito’s more likely to say no.”

Haruto looks up, affronted. “Of course! Come on, I bet there’s still some leftovers in the fridge.”

Haruto’s kitchen is the size of Yuuma’s entire living room: there’s space to walk and move and probably even  _ dance,  _ and there are enough cupboards and counters for an entire family to cook in. The kitchen has every appliance ever in it, but Haruto leads him to the fridge and throws open the doors.

There’s food. Everywhere. Stacks upon stacks of Tupperware, entire plates covered in plastic wrap, and dozens of jars and loose vegetables on the shelves and in the drawers. It’s more food than Yuuma’s ever seen in any fridge, much more that Akari and Gran bring home after shopping trips. Yuuma’s never gone hungry, but Kaito’s fridge is like opening the doors to heaven.

Haruto pulls out containers and holds them up for Yuuma to peer through. “We’ve got all kinds of leftovers: rice, pork, beef … salad.” He points to further back in the fridge, where Yuuma spots a carton of milk. “That’s for the cereal, if you want that.”

Yuuma reaches in to grab the rice, which he eagerly begins to eat up with the first pair of chopsticks he spots resting in a cup on the counter. They look clean, and Haruto doesn’t pull them from his fingers. Just as Haruto begins to put the food away, Yuuma grabs the pork too. “I can’t just eat rice,” he says. “I need protein too.”

Haruto laughs. “Of course!” He takes a seat up along the bar overlooking the kitchen, resting his head in his hands. Lips blistered, he picks at them before he realises Yuuma, still eating, is also watching him. “Oh, by the way, did Kaito call you over?”

“More like demand I come see him,” Yuuma says, swallowing a large bite of pork. He chuckles and take another bite. “I don’t know what he wants, unless it’s about the tournament. Maybe he wants to know about Entertainment dueling; maybe he’s worried about you.”

The thought makes Haruto frown, biting at his blistered lips. “Big brother hasn’t said anything about my classes. I have to go today too, so he would’ve said something it it was really worrying him. That’s a good thing then that he hasn’t called me over.” Haruto doesn’t seem convinced by his words though, wringing his hands together nervously. Yuuma understands the feeling: he hadn’t expected his sister to be quite so forgiving, even when she had still demanded he change his schedule before school so that he’s not skipping class.

“Your brother wouldn’t ban you, would he?” Yuuma asks.

Haruto shrugs. “He might be worried …”

“About what?” Yuuma says. He brushes aside Haruto’s concern with a wave of his hand. “Kaito’s done  _ way  _ more dangerous things that the harmless junior youth duels that you perform. In fact, juniour youths are the safest because they aren’t made to compete and perform: you’re just dueling, plain and simple.” Yuuma doesn’t bother to mention that the grisly side-effects of Entertainment duels don’t seem to appear in the youngest children, or at least Yuuma hasn’t seen it happen.

“I guess,” Haruto says with a laugh. “I could go get him, if you’d like to keep eating. He hasn’t come out in a few hours –”

“We’ll go in and see him,” Yuuma says. “He’s got important, top-secret stuff to tell me, so he probably doesn’t want anyone spying on us to hear!”

Haruto’s eyes go wide as dinner plates and he swallows. “W-wait, spying? Is someone spying on us?”

“‘Course not!” Yuuma says. “But if they were, Kaito’s paranoid enough to not let them hear us.” He pushes his dishes back and says, “C’mon, we’ll go ask him ourselves if spies would be listening into the house.” Yuuma hops down from the bar stool and makes his way to the hallway. There are two doors, one leading up and one leading down, and Yuuma knows Kaito can’t be sleeping yet. He skips down the stairs and throws open the door, letting sunlight chase away the shadows at the edges of the doorway. Further back where the morning light can’t reach is where Kaito and Chris sit under a hanging lightbulb.

“Morning!” Kaito calls, startling both of them. By their tired expressions, Yuuma wonders if they’d been sleeping.

“Good morning, Yuuma,” Chris says, yawning behind a hand. “I didn’t expect to see you this early.”

“Kaito said to come right away,” Yuuma says. “What’s up?”

Not quite awake, Kaito rubs the sleep from his eyes before he turns to Haruto, oblivious to Yuuma and his comments. “Haruto, good morning. I need to speak with Yuuma privately – can we talk afterwards, if you’d like?”

Haruto nods. “Sure, big brother!”

A smile graces Kaito’s lips. “See you later then.”

Haruto touches Yuuma’s shoulder and smiles before he turns around and heads back out the door. The door closes behind him too, leaving Yuuma in a dark room illuminated by a single, dusty light bulb. The shadows return in the corners of the room, slipping between the books and gadgets that threaten to spill from the shelves acting as the walls themselves. Yuuma takes a moment to look around to see just what Chris and Kaito were doing before they passed out, but finding nothing out-of-the-ordinary, Yuuma seats himself before the two adults and folds his arms.

“So, what top-secret stuff do we get to talk about today?”

“It’s not top-secret,” Kaito corrects. “I just don’t want Haruto to hear.”

“That’s still top-secret,” Yuuma insists, but he ends it with a laugh. 

Chris and Kaito do not laugh. Their eyebrows are pinched together and their hands folded tight before them. Yuuma catches a haunted look in their eyes, courtesy of sleep deprivation but also fear.

Yuuma chews on his lip. “Is it about the Entertainment dueling?” Yuuma says. “You saw my duel too?”

Kaito nods. “This is about forming Zexal.”

Yuuma leans back in his seat at once. “Oh,  _ that.  _ You’ve seen me form Zexal before – in fact, you were the first, Kaito! You know how strange it can be, which is why it didn’t seem to work the first time –”

Kaito pulls a photograph from a stack next to him and pushes it towards Yuuma. It’s a picture of Yuuma when he tried to form Zexal with Yuuya for the first time. There is light blinding the audience, creating two shadows of beings coming together as they plummet towards the ground. Yuuma remembers this moment. He remembers falling into Yuuya and becoming one in the strangest of ways.

Yuuma tries to shrug it off. “Yeah, that happened.”

Kaito flicks off another paper and lines it up with the second. This time it’s a photo of Yuuya, eyes glowing red after he and Yuuma broke apart. There’s something unhinged by the way Yuuma’s eyes emit such light. For a second, Yuuma wonders if perhaps that isn’t  _ Yuuya,  _ and maybe that was one of his counterparts momentarily taking control. When Yuuya met them all, he didn’t remember seeing anyone with red, glowing eyes, though in the fever dream Yuuma doesn’t remember much of anything.

“Do you know what’s happening?” Chris says.

“Side effect?” Yuuma suggests. “That’s not supposed to happen, and it went away quickly.”

Chris hums to himself.

Kaito shows him another photo. Yuuma’s face is front and centre, twisted in pain as his entire body glows red. Yuuma sees the beginnings of markings appearing on his face, looking distinctly familiar to Astral’s tattoos. However, they appear like burn marks on his cheeks; instinctively, Yuuma raises a hand to see if he might be able to feel them blistering under his skin.

“How’d this happen?” Kaito asks.

“Side effect?” Yuuma says again. “I wasn’t coherent for much of this moment, so I can’t really help you.” Pushing his nose to to the paper, Yuuma says, “Did you get these off DuelTube? Does that mean you watched my duel?”

Kaito pushes another paper toward him, showing Yuuya in Zexal form, red and green skinsuit prominent along with bright sparkles and glitter coming off their radiant body. Yuuma remembers that moment well.

“That’s when Yuuya and I formed Zexal,” Yuuma explains. “It worked once we made the connection.”

Kaito points to the visible marking along Yuuya’s face. Yuuma hadn’t seen them the first time as they were faint and blended into Yuuya’s golden complexion; however, now that Kaito has pointed them out Yuuma sees how similar they are to the past photo, and he glances back and forth between the pictures. 

Looking up, Yuuma narrows his eyes. “How long were you looking at these photos before you noticed that?”

Kaito rolls his eyes. “I noticed right away. Yuuma, those markings aren’t yours, are they?”

“Well I don’t know,” Yuuma says. “Are they on my face right now?” When Kaito doesn’t answer, Yuuma leans his face as close as he can. When he does this to Shark, Shark pushes his face back and says, ‘That’s mushy!’ or ‘That’s gross!’ However, Kaito just leans back enough so that Yuuma topples forward and lands face-first on the desk.

“Be  serious, Yuuma,” Kaito tells him. “These markings are like Astral or Don Thousand, or both if you look closely and the colours and style. Do you remember seeing markings elsewhere on Yuuya, perhaps on his arms or legs?”

Yuuma bushes scarlet. “Why would I be looking there? Gosh, Kaito –”

“I saw you kiss him on television,” Kaito states as bluntly as he says anything else, but this particular line has Yuuma’s ears turn pink. “Don’t hide your relationship if you do silly stuff like that in front of the camera.”

“I didn’t know the camera was there,” Yuuma says. “And once again, I wouldn’t know if Yuuya had any markings on him when we formed Zexal. I …” Yuuma rolls up his sleeves, showing off his forearms to Kaito. They’re decorated in plenty of scrapes and bruises from his fall during the quarter-finals, but no marking resemble either Astral or Don Thousand. Yuuma knows that those spirits live on within him, even if he can’t ever return to the Astral or Barian Worlds.

Rolling down his sleeves, Yuuma takes another look at the photo. He’s memorised Astral’s face like a beautiful picture; Yuuma knows where every detail and marking should be on Astral’s sculpted face. Those markings look like his. They also look like Don Thousand’s, a monster Yuuma doesn’t want to ever imagine he could be a part of. Yet he is, just like Astral is, and those seared markings in the photo resemble the red gashes across Don Thousand’s cheeks.

“Maybe those are like his,” Yuuma says after a moment.

“Are you certain?” Chris says, the gentle adult in the room who reaches out a hand to touch Yuuma’s fingers.

“Sure,” Yuuma says quickly. “I mean, that can’t be anyone else’s, and we already know I’m connected to them. I wonder if Yuuya could sense them.”

Chris takes his hand back and once again folds them together. “That is a question I cannot answer. Zexal powers are far beyond what anyone is studying; even Byron doesn’t know much of Parallel World magic, and I imagine Nasch wouldn’t know much either.”

“Shark might know something,” Yuuma says. “Or Vector. Vector has the internet.”

“Neither of those options are trustworthy,” Kaito says.

Yuuma looks from the pictures to Kaito several times before he sighs. “Is that what you dragged me out here to talk about?”

“One of the things,” Chris says. He gathers up the pictures and stacks them neatly together; there are far more photos in the stack that Yuuma hasn’t seen, but Chris covers them up before Yuuma can sneak a peak. “We also want to know what happened during Sakaki’s duel –”

“You mean when I fell?” Yuuma asks, pointing to the stacked photographs.

Kaito shakes his head. “The next duel, Yuuma. The one where Sakaki and Hiiragi were together, showing visible strain during the duel, until you appeared with your Zexal power and restored some happiness in that painful duel. I want you to tell me what happened when you formed Zexal with Yuuya, and specifically why you did it.”

The question hangs heavy; Yuuma swallows.

“Well,” he begins. “You see.” Yuuma wrings his hands tightly and looks away, back at the door he entered and to the shadows in the mornings. The room appears to close in on him with a black cloth shielding away the light of the room, and with it the lightness of the tone. Yuuma hadn’t wanted to tell anyone about his Zexal power, especially during that duel, but Kaito doesn’t settle for any less than the truth. Yuuma knows he’ll need to tell Kaito something.

“Well,” Yuuma tries again, “both duelists were looking kinda tired, like doing all those wild tricks was hurting them. It didn’t look like dueling anymore. So that’s when I tried to form Zexal, and I did it with Yuuya because I’m closer to him than to Yuzu. It was an attempt to save the duel from despair.”

“And so you tried to form Zexal again, regardless of what had happened last time?”

Yuuma leans forward, meeting Kaito’s eye with a wild glint. “Well when you put it like  _ that  _ –”

“Be serious, Yuuma.”

“You’re the one who’s making this weird!” Yuuma says, sitting back. “Yeah, when things got bad I tried to fix them like a good duelist and a good friend. That wasn’t dueling, and Yuuya and Yuzu weren’t having fun. I was just trying to make them smile. And” – Yuuma holds up a finger – “I didn’t cheat by using Zexal. The effect was the same on both Yuuya and Yuzu. The only difference was that Yuuya was glowing.”

“Are you sure?” Chris says. “Yuuya didn’t seem any different under the effects of Zexal?”

“‘Course not! The only difference was that he wasn’t feeling the pressure –”

“Pressure?” Kaito repeats, jumping over the table to stare at him. When Kaito gets interested, Yuuma sees the passion flare in his eyes like white-water rapids. If Kaito’s eyes are often soulless, at this moment Kaito has never looked livelier. “Is that the glitch of Entertainment dueling?”

Dropping himself on the table, Yuuma mumbles, “Sure, maybe. It’s not really what I want to remember about the duel.”

Kaito looks ready to strangle him now, having been moved from interest to annoyance. He raps his fingers on the wood of the desk before them, a feat considering that the desk is littered with papers and Yuuma hadn’t expected any sound. He hears it circle around the room, fading in and out as if the noise catches in the cracks on the roof.

“Yuuma, I swear to the gods, you need to focus. If Entertainment duels are hurting others, then what right does Leo Corporation have pushing them on every city? Heartland already has plans to update its major dueling arenas to Real Solid Vision; next will be the schools and public venues. If this program is harmful to duelists, we need to fight back against it.”

Chris, the more sympathetic of the two, leans down to meet Yuuma’s eyes. “You understand, don’t you? If Entertainment duels hurt duelists, that technology should not be spreading around until its glitches are fixed.”

Yuuma swallows. “But … but what if those are unfixable glitches?”

“Then that’s useless technology,” Kaito snaps. “I don’t need my brother going to a school that could hurt him –”

“It’s not from classes!” Yuuma says, raising a hand. “I don’t know what it’s from, but that feeling … that pressure … it didn’t come from those classes! It comes from the audience maybe, or from the tournaments themselves! Yuuya says it’s something like the ‘pressure to perform’, where duelists strain themselves to do their best.

“But that’s not dueling! There must be a way to fight the physical and mental strain duelists go through! I’m sure of it.” Yuuma reaches across the table to grab at the pictures; before Chris or Kaito can swat his hands away, Yuuma rips out one of the top photos. It’s the shot of Yuuya in Zexal form, smiling as his body erupts in blinding, golden light. “Like this! This is dueling for fun! This is how dueling should be.”

“You’re telling me this has nothing to do with Real Solid Vision then?” Kaito says.

Yuuma shrugs. “How could it be? Maybe it’s just the nature of the sport –”

“Duels aren’t like that over here. Either it’s the Entertainment dueling or the Action dueling, or maybe it’s both.” Taking back the picture, Kaito says, “This is something I need to know about, Yuuma. You need to tell me or Chris when things like this are unsettling –”

“Weird,” Yuuma interrupts.

“Sure, weird. When weird things happen, Chris and I need to be involved. If Real Solid Vision has a role in the pressure to perform effect, then I don’t want it shipped over here. It’s unlikely the Akabas will spill anything about their top-secret dueling programs; it’s hard enough to understand their technology as it is. However, I assume several duelists over there know more than they let on, especially if they themselves know of the detrimental side effects. Keep an eye on them, Yuuma.”

At once Yuuma stands to salute, but midway through the gesture he stops and frowns, lips pinched together. “Does that mean spying on my friends?”

“Not spying, but watching out for them and letting us know how they’re doing. If you see anything suspicious, you come and tell us.”

Yuuma thinks hard about what Chris and Kaito have said. He has no reason to mistrust them. They’re looking out for him and his friends, as good adult friends should, and Yuuma feels safer knowing that Chris and Kaito are involved in this. Yuuma still won’t tell them about the rewrite or about anything related to that time, but this sounds like something safe he can keep with them. A bubble of anxiety forms in Yuuma’s stomach for yet again keeping secrets, but he tries to brush it off. He’s not keeping secrets if it’s something that truly doesn’t involve anyone. He hasn’t told Akari either and he doesn’t feel guilty about  _ that. _

Kaito and Chris whisper things to each other which, despite only being across the table from them, Yuuma struggles to hear. 

“Do you need anything else from me?” Yuuma says.

“No,” Kaito says. “Take Haruto to duel class today, but don’t do anything reckless. You’re responsible for him.”

Saluting again, Yuuma says, “Got it! We promise to come home right on time and not get into any trouble.”

As Kaito shuffles through several stapled pieces of paper on the desk, he adds, “That should not be something you need to tell me. I should just be able to know you’ll use your common sense.”

“And I’ve got lots of that! See ya, Chris, Kaito!” Yuuma waves to both of them, and only Chris waves back half-heartedly. Yuuma closes the door behind them, expecting to see Haruto inches from the door eavesdropping on them. However, Haruto is in the living room watching cartoons on a plush couch; half a bowl of popcorn remains. He looks up when Yuuma enters.

“Time to go?” he asks.

“Yep!” Yuuma and Haruto slip back on their shoes and don their jackets. Haruto’s transit pass hangs around his neck on a green lanyard; slipping his hands into his pocket, Yuuma feels the plastic of his own pass. Akari hasn’t confiscated it … yet. Yuuma suspects she forgot about that detail during their argument yesterday.

Outside, Yuuma holds onto Haruto’s hand. It feels like forever since he went to duel school with everyone, and even with summer break ending, the summer has felt endless. On the train ride over, Yuuma tries to memorise every wave and cloud he sees across the bridge. Akari won’t keep him from it, but Yuuma knows he won’t be able to keep doing what he’s doing. In showing his love for Entertainment, he lost something that was important to him, and something that he can’t get back. It’s not as upsetting as Yuuma imagined it would be; for one, Yuuya is still with him. Yet the thought of losing his role as teacher, and perhaps losing some of his duel time with his friends, hurts Yuuma. He doesn’t want to lose what he’s worked so hard for. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Yuuma notices Haruto too memorising every corner of the landscape. It’s a miracle in itself that Kaito let Haruto join in the first place, much less allow him to continue studying even after seeing the video footage. Yuuma can’t imagine such side effects ever appearing in the young children. There’s something that changes between junior youth and youth that allows those negative feelings to take root.

Worriedly, Yuuma wonders what would happen if Haruto became pressured to perform? What if this effect gives a false sense of security for younger duelists, and in fact it could become an epidemic that spreads to ravage all duelists regardless of whether they are Entertainers or not.

_ I have to put a stop to this,  _ thinks Yuuma.  _ Dueling is meant to bring hope and smiles, not tears and pain. You’re not dueling if you’re hurting. _

Flashes of the duels flickers across Yuuma’s vision and through the tinted glass of the train. Yuuma sees his friends smiling alongside their monsters, banked by the tall towers of the stadium where an audience sits clapping excitedly for their performance. Yuuma wishes that vision were real, and a part of him foolishly wants to believe that’s true. However, Yuuma knows that such duels don’t always exist. Sometimes there is hurt and pain.

When the train enters the station, Haruto pulls ahead, excited to see his classmates. Yuuma lets himself be carefree as he dashes through the streets on his heelies with Haruto on his back. Both of them laugh and giggle to the sounds of the ocean coming in to greet them and to the gentle call of the seagulls. Every moment Yuuma spends in Maiami is a memory he wants to hold close.

Rounding the final bend, Yuuma spots You Show Duel School. Yuuya and Yuzu stand outside in shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flops, looking particularly cool and comfy. They greet him with hugs, and then Haruto next. 

“It feels like it’s been so long,” Yuzu says as she happily hugs Haruto. “Tournaments really take it out of you.”

Laughing, Haruto says, “I watched all of it on TV with my brother! You were all so awesome, every single one of you! I hope I can compete in the tournaments next time!”

Yuuya chuckles. “Reiji suspects that more duelists will want to enter the tournaments now that Tributed Duelists was shown dimension-wide. Even with the hiccups, this was a far more successful tournament than the MCS, and Reiji is hopeful that more duelists of the United Dimensions will come. He’s even hoping that by Heartland duelists seeing you, Yuuma, at the tournament, that there will be an extra push for Xyz users.”

The comment makes Yuuma’s heart soar even with the hanging guilt of Kaito’s words. In Yuuya’s world, Action Duels and Entertainment duelists are ways of life, not choices. How can Kaito think that this is wrong? But the nagging feeling sticks that such dueling methods  _ are  _ worrisome, and especially massed en grande for international duelists and tournaments.

But Yuuma can’t bring himself to say the words.

They head into You Show. Coach greets them, not at the desk, but in the hallway, spreading his arms out wide to reveal a hand-painted banner that reads ‘Congratulations, You Show Champions!’ Once again arms are around Yuuma’s neck and cheers fill his ears. Yuuya and Yuzu shower him in praise and hugs, and Shuuzou joins them for a group celebration. From the classroom appear Ayu, Futoshi, Reira, and Tatsuya, looking happily at Haruto.

“Come on everyone, let’s celebrate!” Coach says. “My treat to everyone!”

“What about lessons?” Tatsuya says.

Coach beckons them closer. “I have a real treat for y’all, and I think my partner Yuuma will agree. How about, instead of a classroom day, we have a duel day?”

The children cheer, throwing their arms up in joy. Yuuma has never seen Haruto look so at home among children his age. Even Reira seems to smile, lips curling up slightly as his peers clap and cheer.

Coach Shuuzou draws them together again. “I’m certain you’ve all seen the duels our fellow junior youths competed in. Well, now’s our chance to take what we learned over the weekend and apply it. You don’t need to be multis-summoning, but let’s take today as an opportunity to try something new.” Pointing at Futoshi, Coach asks, “What’s something you learned last weekend?”

Futoshi fumbles on the stop. “Well, I did see Big Bro Yuuma use several trap cards, and I think those are counter traps.”

Shuuzou nods. “A great idea, Futoshi! And you, Ayu and Tatsuya? Something new to try?”

“Spell cards!” Tatsuya says.

“Action cards!” Ayu says.

Coach turns to Haruto and Reira. Both boys look down; only Haruto looks up again, eyes twinkling. Coach’s smile widens as he asks both of them, “And what did you see at the tournament this weekend? What will you try out today?”

Both boys hunch their shoulders forward; the attention makes them curl into themselves. Coach’s expression softens. “Reira, I know you were at the tournament this weekend with your big brother Reiji. What’s something memorable from those duels you watched up above? What can you try out today?”

Reira doesn’t look up. “I want to study field advantages. I think those will boost the conditions to win.”

Shuuzou nods. “And you, Haruto? Though I didn’t see you this weekend, I’m sure you saw it on TV. What do you want to do today?”

Haruto plays with his fingers before looking up. His eyes are bright and his smile golden; if sun could stream through the windows, it would make a perfect halo over Haruto’s head. 

“I want to be an Entertainment duelist!”


	21. To the Rescue! The Future of Yuuma's Teaching Career!

Yuuma thinks it will be easy to bring up the topic with Coach. He goes to class all week eager to see his classmates and teach, enjoying the rest of his summer break. In the back of his mind, a little voice whispers,  _ Hey, weren’t you supposed to ask Coach to change your schedule?  _ However, Yuuma ignores the voice up until the last day of summer vacation. 

Going to class that morning, Yuuma feels a pit in his stomach. Kaito has now found a good use for Yuuma’s trips to Maiami, so Haruto trails  after Yuuma. The morning sunshine streams down on both of them; Yuuma plans on visiting Shark’s place early so that he can get  _ some  _ help on what to do about this dilemma before he dumps it on everyone at You Show. It seemed easier said than done until Yuuma had to tell Coach about it, and now it seems like a dark fear that settles uneasily in his gut. 

The fear is that Yuuma doesn’t know how to solve this problem. He can’t expect every juniour in the program to change their schedule just because Yuuma can’t teach them, and honestly with how late his own classes go, Yuuma has no time to teach. He can’t lie to Akari anymore and he can’t skip class, yet Yuuma also doesn’t want to let his students down. He likes teaching the younger children and feeling like someone looks up to him. Yuuma has spent all his life learning and looking up to others, even kids his own age; being a mentor for once gives Yuuma some faith in his own abilities. Plus, if Akari’s berating him for career experience, Yuuma insists that mentoring others is one of the best ways to improve one’s dueling tactics.

Yet Yuuma still can’t teach.

Swinging his arms back and forth as they walk down the boardwalk to the Kamishiro Mansion, Haruto tells him, “You’re never scared of anything, Yuuma. You always say what you feel. What’s stopping you this time?”

Yuuma shrugs. “Usually there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain, but not this time.”

Haruto frowns. “But Coach likes you teaching, and we all like you teaching too! Won’t that mean Coach will find a way to keep you working?”

Yuuma isn’t sure. He’s not even sure if his teaching has paid off his tuition for classes; if Yuuma can’t work enough, he won’t even be able to go to his own classes. The anxious feeling churns, creating waves inside him that make Yuuma queasy. He feels himself go as pale as Astral.

Taking a deep breath, Haruto asks, “Is that why you’re going to Ryouga’s?”

Yuuma laughs; it appears Haruto has learned Shark’s name from Chris since Kaito gave up being all stiff and professional with a guy who bedazzles his jackets and shoes. “I’m going to Shark’s because one of them’s got to have a plan.”

“For what?”

“For getting me out of this problem.” Yuuma stretches his arms above his head. “I’m not going to lie to anyone, but Vector knows how to manipulate words and get me what I need, and Alit and Shark probably have some ideas too.”

“Oh,” Haruto says. “Is that why we can’t ask Coach? Because you’re worried he’ll say no.”

“He won’t say no,” Yuuma says. “I just don’t want to disappoint him, but Sis is already disappointed in me.”

Stepping up to the Kamishiro Mansion, Yuuma sets both hands on the door. He shouldn’t expect everyone to be up early, but there’s always hope that if he knocks loud enough everyone will wake up to take to him. Yuuma bangs twice on the door and calls out, “Hey, it’s –”

Vector opens the door. The bags under his eyes are visible even when he smiles saccharinely sweet and takes a deep sip from a flower-shaped mug that reads ‘All roses have thorns.’ “Yuuma-kun,” Vector finishes. He steps aside and sweeps his arm through the house, beckoning them inside. Yuuma hops over the threshold and kicks off his shoes at the genkan; Haruto comes in a bit quieter, setting his shoes next to a pair of sparkly, white loafers.

Vector takes another sip of his drink. His fiery red hair sticks up in every angle, and even running his fingers through it doesn’t settle the tangles. “What brings you here at this ungodly hour? Don’t you have class?”

“Later,” Haruto chirrups. He takes a look around the house, eyes wide and focusing in on every minute detail, before he frowns. “Where is everyone?”

“Sleeping, those fuckers,” Vector mutters. “Even through your yelling they’ve kept sleeping. Fuck.” Vector downs the rest of his drink and sets the dirty mug on the nearest available surface: the coat rack, with the cup hanging by its handle off one of the hooks. Vector doesn’t look more  awake; in fact, Yuuma sees his eyes rolling closed with every breath.

“Hey Vector,” Yuuma says, startling him awake after a moment, “are there other ways to get to Maiami besides the train?”

Vector blinks slowly, eyes bulging. “The bus?”

“No, like other ways besides the bridge, or things that are faster than a train. Like … like a plane!”

Sighing, Vector leans against the handrails. “You can’t take a plane to Maiami, especially not if you’re  thinking to use that as a commute. That’s ridiculous. Do you even know how expensive that is?”

“I could save up for it.”

Vector leans closer. “But don’t we go back to school tomorrow, Yuuma-kun? Don’t you have to figure this out today?”

Blushing, Yuuma stumbles back. “How’d you know? Wait, nevermind - of course you’d know! And yeah, I waited until the last minute and that was a bad idea. Sorry! But now I  _ really  _ need help, Vector, and you and everyone else must be able to help me somehow!”

Vector chews on his bottom lip, eyes heavy either from bliss or sleep exhaustion. By this point, it’s hard to tell what Vector is thinking; he’s unpredictable at the best of times, but Yuuma wonders if perhaps Vector hasn’t slept today, meaning his plans could be extra bizarre. However, Vector doesn’t say anything for the longest time, eyes closing as he props himself up on the bannister and promptly falls asleep.

Yuuma gives him one, two, three moments before he leans close enough to feel Vector’s gentle breaths on his cheeks. He looks back at Haruto and whispers-yells, “He’s asleep.”

Vector doesn’t stir. However, from the upper floor Yuuma hears footsteps that stop at the top step. Peering down at them is Durbe, looking quite tired as well with his hair in a bird’s nest and his glasses sitting unevenly on the bridge of his nose. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and looks down the stairwell at Haruto and Yuuma, eyes glancing over Vector draped over the edge of the bannister.

“Good morning,” he says. “What are you doing here, Yuuma?”

Yuuma doesn’t try to whisper this time: “I need help!”

Vector throws himself upright, moans, and returns to his place on the bannister. Durbe raises an eyebrow, frowns, and then descends in his grace and glory: dressed in mismatched pyjamas and only wearing one sock. Durbe doesn’t say anything as he leads Haruto and Yuuma into the living room, once again sitting them both down on the couch that sinks in and the middle and unintentionally gets everyone closer than they’d wished to be. Durbe chooses to not sit in the middle this time; Yuuma gets squished between Haruto and Durbe, neither who have the strength to push themselves free of the couch’s grasp.

Once again, Yuuma is sucked into the couch between friends, only this time Vector isn’t here to make it awkward for everyone.

“So,” Durbe says. His cheeks are already red. “What do you need help with?”

Around Durbe, Yuuma thinks he can open up his soul. Shark’s broken down before Durbe before, and he seems like the guy to trust with a secret. Therefore, Yuuma throws his head back and mumbles, “I can’t teach at duel school anymore because I can’t skip class. I have to find a way to get to duel school asap.”

“Don’t the juniors start earlier though, as in like earlier than your class gets out?”

Yuuma nods. 

“Doesn’t that mean that no matter what time you get out at, you won’t be able to teach?”

Yuuma nods, frowns, then throws his head back again. “That means it’s pointless! I can’t lie to Akari anymore, and I can’t skip class! I … I won’t be able to teach ever again unless I make the school change their closing time, or I make the duel school change their entire schedule for me.”

Durbe speaks the words aloud: “Out of the question. Classes from either institution aren’t going to change just because you want to teach. You’ll need to find a new idea, or perhaps take a break from teaching.” Leaning up enough to catch his eyes, Durbe says, “I remember seeing you during school time. Weren't you exhausted, Yuuma? That schedule was ruthless to you.”

“It was fine,” Yuuma insists. “I’ll do anything to keep teaching.”

Snuggling next to him, Haruto says, “Maybe Coach Shuuzou-san will have an idea. He’ll want you to teach.”

Durbe nods in agreement. “He should be the only one willing to make compromises for you. I can only give you suggestions that you’ll have to bring up with him.” They lapse into tentative silence, disrupted only by the sounds of footsteps upstairs that Yuuma knows must be the rest of the Barians waking at mid-morning hours. He tries to fold himself into the couch, but the first person to see him is Shark and he narrows his eyes.

“What are you doing here?” he asks. “Don’t you have class?”

“Not yet,” Yuuma says.

Shark huffs and looks at Haruto next. “Still can’t believe you got Kaito to agree to let you go to Maiami City to be an Entertainment duelist. There’s so many things that I can see him having a problem with, and letting Yuuma of all people take you –”

Yuuma sighs. “You don’t have to rub it in, Shark. I’m not going to teach anymore anyways, so Haruto and I won’t be able to go together anymore.”

Shark rolls his eyes. He steps into the room so that Yuuma can see the sharks on his pyjama bottoms and the loose ponytail that he’s gathered his hair into. The old hair gel makes the spikes stick out in even more awkward angles. He crosses his arms and stares the three of them down: Haruto, nestled to Yuuma’s side; Yuuma, eaten alive by both the couch and the two people squishing him further into the centre; and Durbe, looking much more awake now that Shark is in the room. 

“Why can’t you teach on your off-days?” Shark says.

Yuuma doesn’t meet his stare. “My … off-days?”

An audible groan. “Your days off from school. Didn’t you tell us all that duel school runs on Saturdays too for every single class. Why can’t you teach once a week?”

Oh. 

Yuuma hadn’t thought of that, especially not since he’d expected Coach to have a strict ‘all or nothing’ schedule for him. Now that Yuuma thinks about it though, he can’t imagine Coach getting too upset if Yuuma broke the news to him that he could no longer skip class, but that he could still teach when he didn’t have pressing, albeit boring, obligations. It’s not the best idea, but …

Shark finally looks away, cheeks growing red. “I’m sure he’ll agree, since you work so hard and all. It’s almost sickening how much you put into that job. Your teacher must see that and he’ll be sympathetic.”

It’s a thought that never crossed Yuuma’s mind. Does Coach Shuuzou … appreciate him?

Yuuma sits up as much as he can squished between two people and devoured by a comfy couch. “I can just tell Coach that I can teach on the weekend, and he should go along with that? Duel school is six days a week – that’s five days I’m not teaching for.”

“That’s five days that you have  _ school,”  _ Shark says. “He’s got a daughter in school and when I met him briefly he had common sense. If you tell him you have school, and that you were skipping class last semester to make it here, I bet he’ll let you off the hook.”

“I’m doing this to pay for my classes though,” Yuuma says. “How will I pay him back now?”

“Ask him. You’re already teaching in the summer. Hell, you’ve got tons of talents, Yuuma, that anyone would want to have you work for them, even if your delivery of those is subpar. Your coach isn’t a dick and if you tell him honestly what’s going on for you, he’ll help you out.” Shark comes to stand before him, sticking out a hand to awkwardly rest on Yuuma’s head. Shark’s hand is warm and comforting; Yuuma breathes a sigh of relief and leans backwards, forcing Shark to lean forward to maintain contact. He looks ready to tumble into Yuuma, stretched forward in front of him. 

Shark won’t meet his eyes.

“Stop moping around,” Shark says. “No one likes that, and it’s not even like you. You’re always … I don’t know, cheerful? Like stupidly so.”

Yuuma hms in content. “Thanks, Shark.”

“Don’t mention it – ever.”

The comment gets Yuuma giggling. He presses his head first to Durbe’s and then to Haruto’s. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Shark stands up, removing his hand and wiping it down his pant leg. “Now what are you doing here. Don’t you have places to be?”

Yuuma sits upright, startled. He can’t find a clock in the room and he can’t check his D-Gazer in his pocket or his D-Pad in his backpack. “What time is it?” he asks Shark.

“Time for you to go, I’m sure. I don’t know, just …” Shark stiffens and shoves his hands in his pockets. “Don’t be late, OK? You care too much about this.” Shark’s lips purse as he pulls out his hand, gripping his D-Gazer that he must’ve not realised was in there. “And it’s 10 o’clock.”

“Darn it!” Yuuma says. He throws himself forward off the couch, breaking free of the cushions. Durbe and Haruto both fall forward and knock into each other; quickly, Haruto sits upright and jumps off the couch too. Yuuma tugs him forward and back to the entryway, where they slip on their shoes without tying up the laces. 

Shark and Durbe meet him at the stairs. Vector has disappeared to gods knows where. 

“Uh, thank you!” Yuuma says. “For, uh, everything! Yep, thanks, guys!”

Durbe chuckles; Shark rolls his eyes.

“Hurry up or you’re going to be late. Don’t get hit by anything.”

Yuuma waves goodbye, arms fluttering in the mid morning breeze that seems refreshing compared to the stale air of the morning. There’s life in the city that Haruto and Yuuma dash by on their run to the train station. Everything seems more vibrant now; Yuuma spots the people on the streets, the flowers growing in potted plants, and the sakura blossoms dangling from the tops of trees. 

He and Haruto narrowly make it in time for the local train to the main station. Yuuma presses Haruto up against him as the train doors close inches from their faces and the train takes off. At this time in the summer, the main stations are packed with people travelling everywhere. It’s impossible to tell who’s a tourist and who isn’t when everyone is crammed against each other in a train car.

When the doors open, Yuuma and Haruto hurry off before they are squished by the swarm of people getting off with them. They then hurry through the station to the main lines travelling both to Maiami and City. Once again, Yuuma and Haruto squeeze themselves onto the train. Yuuma wishes people would give kids like Haruto a seat, but at his age he’s a bit too old to be passed off as a young child. Thankfully, this train doesn’t pack everyone in quite so tight, and Haruto and Yuuma have some breathing room between them to talk.

“If you don’t teach,” Haruto asks, “then does that mean Coach will?”

“He always was,” Yuuma says. “I was just helping out where I could, but now I can’t. Either way, your classes won’t change and everything will stay the same.”

“If you still taught on the weekends, that would be fun. Big Brother knows I can travel on my own, and if he’s worried he’ll ask Chris to accompany me. They both work from home, so they could take me.” Rolling his eyes, Haruto says, “Why does my brother always get so weird around Entertainment duels?”

Trying to appear casual, Yuuma shrugs. “Old people don’t like change.”

“But my brother’s only 19 …”

“Old enough for it to count.” Yuuma winks. “I wouldn’t worry about what Kaito’s weird about.”

Haruto makes a sound in the back of his throat, a content sound that travels through the quiet train car. “What’s your favourite thing about Entertainment duelists, or Action Duels? I read up about them last night and they’re like an ancient dueling method. I want to know what makes them so cool that we  _ still  _ do them now.”

It takes Yuuma a moment to come up with an idea that doesn’t sound cheesy to his ears. “I guess I like the passion. Everyone really gets into it when they’re in an Action Duel; you can learn a lot from someone just by watching them duel.” Yuuma pauses, then flicks out his wrists. “For example, D-Gazer? Heartland duelists for sure.” Yuuma points up at a poster depicting a duelist riding on a large, custom motorcycle. “D-Wheel? City duelist for sure.”

Haruto bounces on his heels. “Smiles? Maiami duelists for sure!”

Yuuma feels his heart thump, reminding him of that time Yuuya activated Smile World, or that time he and Yuuya formed Zexal, or even all the times in between where he and Yuuya were just together.

Getting off the train this time isn’t quite the debacle when people aren’t trying to run them over, but once Yuuma’s feet touch Maiami soil Haruto is begging him to get on his skates and ride them through the city. In Haruto’s favour, it’s faster. Haruto climbs up on Yuuma’s back and clings tight, and together they skate through the city and to the duel school. The trip is livelier with Haruto, Yuuma realises. Travelling to school with someone else is something he’ll miss once he has to stay in class.

As usual, Yuuya and Yuzu wait out front for him. Both of them are dressed in loose, light clothing perfect for moving about.

“Just made it!” Yuzu says, pushing him along into the room. “Your students are waiting for you, Yuuma – oh, and Haruto too! Move along, come along!”

Yuuma clicks off his heelies and lets Haruto climb back down to the ground. Inside their classroom, Shuuzou sits with the students as they examine cards spread out over several desks. Only Shuuzou looks up when they enter, beckoning them close to examine the cards. They’re all typical deck-building cards – Monster, Spell, and Trap cards – and don’t look particularly interesting to Yuuma. 

“What are we all looking at?” he says.

The children look up. “Big Bro Yuuma, you’re here!”

Yuuma leans closer to stare at the cards. “Is there something … special about these?”

Ayu holds one up to show him. “New booster packs!” she explains. “These all came from several different ones that we bought before class.” She chews on her lip and points at the other cards, “Since they’re from a new archetype, it’s kinda cool to see, huh?”

Yuuma narrows his eyes, then widens them. “That’s not a new archetype, that’s – those are my cards!”

Haruto looks up at him. “You didn’t recognise your own cards?”

Sighing, Yuuma says, “No, but now I do!” He snatches several of them up – he doesn’t have these particular Gagaga and Gogogo supports in his deck, but he knows  _ of  _ them, and that’s enough to pique Yuuma’s interests. Those cards have been around for well over a year in Heartland, but perhaps it’s not shared across the ocean in the other cities. For the first time, Yuuma realises he’s never seen a single Performapal or Melodious card in the game shop he always frequents, almost like those archetypes are exclusive to the city they come from.

Which makes no sense since Melodious cards are Fusion and therefore should be in Academia, but Yuuma doesn’t try to prove his own logic.

“But that’s not a new archetype,” Yuuma says to the kids. “It’s from a few years ago, in Heartland at least.”

Haruto nods. “These cards are a few years old. You’ve … never seen these before?”

Tatsuya shakes his head. “These are exclusive, brand-new cards in the shopping centre. I swear by  it.”

“Perhaps Reiji’s sharing card archetypes between the cities,” Shuuzou tells them. “It’s not a bad strategy since everywhere is still hyped up from the tournament. What better way to make some extra money by selling the booster packs based on the cards of the duelists?”

Yuuma holds a pack aloft, eyeing up the holographic reflection on the packaging. “How come I’m not on the package if these are my cards?”

Haruto laughs. “Akaba-san must not be as interested in who’s playing them.”

Class rolls together after that. The children use the new booster packs as visuals to remind themselves of what they’ve learned about basic Monster, Spell, and Trap cards. Reira, far beyond his classmates’ level of dueling, volunteers to show them about the little text written above the description which outlines the basics of the card: Monster, type, effect, etc. Reira shows them a Tuner card, but abashedly Yuuma explains that even he can’t Synchro Summon, especially with his current cards.

On the dueling field, the students try out their new cards. These Gagaga supports aren’t anything to sneeze at, but Yuuma notices that the children are testing something else out. At first, Yuuma doesn’t see it. His students are practicing. However, after a few minutes Yuuma notices that he has to  _ move  _ to see all of his students dueling since they bounce around the classroom. For the first time ever, Yuuma realises they’ve used up the entire dueling gym.

“What are you practicing?” Yuuma asks.

“We’re Entertainment duelists!” Haruto says. “Watch, Yuuma! I’m going to flip!”

He does, throwing himself forward to spin once in a tight ball. He quickly throws his arms out to brace himself for when he lands on a large, pillow-like bed that catches his fall. Haruto sits up at once and looks at Yuuma, smile sparkling.”Did you see that?”

Yuuma nods. “Have you been practicing?”

Haruto shakes his head. “It just feels right to do! And I want to be like you, Yuuma – a true Entertainment duelist!”

From across the room Futoshi says, “No, that’s Big Bro  _ Yuuya _ who’s an Entertainer. Yuuma is … Yuuma’s our teacher!”

“He can be both!” Haruto insists, yet by this point the students are elsewhere attempting to spin themselves on the hanging bars. Duel class involves far less dueling when three of his students are doing acrobatics. Only Reira stands still, looking down at the ground and perhaps waiting for someone to duel with him. Several moments later, Haruto hops down to get Reira.

“Reira, come with us! We’re practicing spins!”

“No thanks,” Reira says. “I’d rather watch.”

“Oh,” says Haruto. “Well, then let’s duel!”

Yuuma watches Haruto and Reira’s duel after that. He tries to remember what Yuuya once said about Reira’s smile, though it still seems impossible to find when anything the kid does seems borderline robotic. Yuuma wishes something could just pull up Reira’s lips into a proper smile. However, Reira does look content watching Haruto try to dance and duel at the same time. It reminds Yuuma of when he first encountered dueling, back before the pressure could get to him.

Sadly, Yuuma wonders if Reira will fall prey to the pressure too.

Sneaking a glance to the side, Yuuma spots Shuuzou sitting up in the control watching the students. No one seems to need his help, so Yuuma sneaks upstairs. He opens the control room door, eyes falling on the expansive tables of buttons and levers to work the Real Solid Vision system. Shuuzou looks up when he sees Yuuma.

“What can I help you with?” he asks. “Students fooling around? They seem quite intent on performing today.”

Yuuma rubs the back of his head and laughs. “Yeah, Tributed Duelists really inspired everyone. But ….” Swallow. “That’s not why I came to talk to you.”

Shuuzou senses Yuuma’s serious tone. He pulls up a second stool and pats it. “Come have a seat, Yuuma. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

The change surprises Yuuma. As he sits down before Shuuzou, he feels a sense of peace wash over him. Whenever Yuuma was scared or worried, he would turn to his father. His father would always help him. Now sitting with Shuuzou, Yuuma feels that same hope: Shuuzou, like his father, will help him. Shuuzou even has a fatherly touch by the way he brings himself down to Yuuma’s level, hands folded before him. 

“Well,” Yuuma says, shifting in his seat, “I … don’t know if I can teach after this day.”

Shuuzou nods to him to continue.

“I have class tomorrow. I’ve always been skipping class, always leaving class early so I can make it to both to teach and to study. I’m even missing class in the morning when I wake up late because I came  _ home  _ late. I love it here, I really do, and I want to do as much as I can to pay off my tuition, but I can’t work. My sister knows what’s happening and she wants me to stay in class. She says I have to change my schedule, but I shouldn’t change yours, and –” Yuuma takes a deep breath, realising he’s begun to speak faster and faster and slur his words together.

“Coach, I need help. I want to keep teaching, but I can’t skip class.”

Shuuzou waits until Yuuma leans back in his seat, nearly tipping over the side of the stool, before he says anything. Unfolding his hands, Shuuzou says, “Thanks for telling me this, Yuuma. I didn’t know you were skipping so much to get here. I” – he chuckles – “agree with your sister. You shouldn’t be skipping. 

“You’ve helped enough that you don’t need to be pushing yourself to your limits to go to school here. I do know, however, that your students would miss classes without you. I’m proposing this: teach on Saturday and during your school breaks. Does that work for you?”

Yuuma leaps out of his seat. “I can keep teaching then?”

“Once a week instead of four days,” Shuuzou says, “but yes. I want you to keep teaching, but not at risk of your academic studies. You should’ve told me about this problem and I could’ve helped you even more.”

“Well it wasn’t a problem until my sister found out,” Yuuma says, “but thanks. Honestly.”

“Come as soon as you have these problems, OK?” Shuuzou says. “There’s always a solution to a problem.”

Yuuma believes him. He calls through the microphone, “All right, Real Solid Vision powering down” before he flips the switch on the Action Field. “I’ve got to say something to you before I go, so just, uh, stay there!” Yuuma hurries out the door and then down the steps to the ground level. His students stand in the middle together, looking curiously at him.

Yuuma leaves them in suspense for as long as  _ he  _ can keep it, which is a grand total of three seconds before he blurts out, “Today’s my last day teaching you full-time! I have to stay in school, and so I can’t teach! I’m sorry!” He throws himself forward into a bow that nearly knocks heads with Futoshi. “I’ll miss you, I really will!”

Haruto wraps his arms around him for a hug. “We’ll still see you once in a while, right?”

“On weekends –” Yuuma says, but before he can get out more words Ayu squeezes his middle. Tatsuya, a bit taller than her, has a firm grip of one of his arms. Futoshi gets a hold of one side of Yuuma. Yuuma counts the bodies clinging to him: one, two, three, four – oh, there’s Reira. His final student stands a bit back from her classmates, lips turned up slightly. Yuuma would even reckon she’s smiling. 

They break apart after that, and Yuuma insists that before everyone leaves they should high-five him at the door. He rushes to the door to await his students who one, by one, high-five him with bright smiles.

“You give me shivers, Big Bro Yuuma!”

“Please teach us cool stuff on Saturdays!”

“You’ll always be my favourite!”

“Thanks for everything, Yuuma.”

Haruto misses the high-five and clasps hands with Yuuma. He falls into another hug where his deadweight knocks Yuuma back several steps. “You’re the best, Yuuma. I wouldn’t be here without you.”

Yuuma hugs back; out of the corner of his eye, he spots Yuuya and Yuzu standing in the doorway to the classroom. Their eyes crinkle in amusement and both of them seem to glow even under the artificial lighting. Yuuma breaks away and pushes Haruto towards Yuzu. “Can he watch movies during our class?”

“I suppose so,” Yuzu drawls. Haruto grins and bounds up the stairs towards her room, already certain he knows how to operate the television. Yuuma watches him go before his gaze shifts to Yuuya, still leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. He looks deep in thought until Yuuma taps him on the shoulder.

“Hey, you’re blocking the entire entryway,” Yuuma says. “C’mon, let’s go have a seat.”

Yuuya shakes his head, smiles, and leads the way to their desks in the back. Yuzu finds them a few moments later and takes her seat; she’s followed by her father, coming to stand at the front of the class to begin his lesson. Yuuma cranes his neck to see if Shuuzou has brought anything interesting for them today. However, there are no booster packs, new cards or devices anywhere. Yuuma slumps forward in his desk. Class isn’t nearly as exciting if there’s nothing cool to look at.

Yuuya notices his posture change at once. From his pocket he pulls out a foil pack of trading cards embossed with the LDS symbol. They’re the same card packs that his students had brought this morning. Yuuma wonders if all duelists have been shopping for new cards today. When archetypes are released in Heartland, Yuuma doesn’t get to buy them until he’s saved enough money. Neither Shark nor Kaito buy cards unless it’s for their deck type, and only people like Tetsuo buy cards to collect.

Nonetheless, Yuuma is eager to see what cards are inside. If he had all the money in the world, he’d buy as many as he could. Yuuma tears into the package, ignoring the loud crackle of the foil, and pulls out the cards.

_ Performages.  _ There are six of them in a pack, nicely arranged with the single foil card at the front. Yuuma recognises these as monsters in Dennis’ deck.

Hastily, Yuuma grabs a scrap of paper to write on.  _ Did all duelists in the tournament get their archetypes put up on the market?  _ he writes. He then shoves the paper across his desk to to Yuuya.

The paper returns a moment later.  _ Yep, all of our decks will be promoted by LDS. Reiji thinks of it as a thank-you to the duelists, and a promotion for future LDS-hosted tournaments. _

Yuuma thinks of this as a great marketing strategy. He has yet to meet another Xyz duelist who runs Gagaga or Hopes, and it would be awesome to have a rival that matched his deck type. Yuuma hopes that duelists across the dimensions will use his archetype too!

_ Have you seen these cards in Heartland yet? Reiji wants to ship them to all the major cities. _

Yuuma hasn’t, but he doesn’t want to tell Yuuya that it’s because he can’t afford these cards. Even if they were the cheapest cards on the market, Yuuma has only pennies in his piggybank, and neither his sister nor his grandmother would be able to spend money on more presents for him. Yuuma thinks he should ask them once more, yet the last time he asked for more cards Akari got upset at his question. She’d told him he was being greedy.

_ She’s unfair,  _ thinks Yuuma. He writes to Yuuya:  _ I’ll look at the game store on my way home! I could use some more cards. _

If Yuuya knows about Yuuma’s financial troubles, he doesn’t say anything. He puts away the pen and paper when Shuuzou catches them passing notes. Coach doesn’t say anything; he simply gives them a long, hard stare before returning to writing on the board. For the final day, Shuuzou has suggested a similar schedule as the junior youths: free dueling to practice what they’ve learned.

When they head towards the duel room, Yuuma hears his classmates whispering. He can’t catch much of the conversation while also trying to walk straight, but he hears enough to know they’re talking about  _ him.  _ Yuuma assumes the best: they’re talking about the tournament.

Jumping right into the conversation, Yuuma asks them, “So did you see me in the tournament? What did you think?”

A girl that Yuuma hasn’t ever talked to speaks up: “I’m wondering if you’ll show us what you did on the field with Yuuya-kun. That was magic, wasn’t it?”

Yuuma swallows. “It was a bit different that magic,” he says. “But …” He looks to Yuuya. They couldn’t do it here, could they? After all, everyone’s already seen it in action.

Yuuya shakes his head. “Not here - that was special.”

Oh. Looking down at his feet, Yuuma turns back to his classmate. “That’s something special,” he repeats. “I can’t just do it with everyone.”

“It’s dangerous, isn’t it?” a boy speaks up. “Could you hurt someone with that?”

“Of course not!” Yuuma says, affronted. He steps up to the other boy and exclaims, “You can’t hurt anyone with Zexal powers!”

The classroom goes silent. Slowly, the words bubble up from the surface.  _ Zexal power. Zexal power.  _ Yuuma feels his cheeks grow hot and his throat turn dry. The words are out before he can wheel them back; like spirits they flitter among the students circled around him, looking between him and Yuuya. 

_ Zexal power. _

“What does Zexal power do?”

Yuuma feels the mistake drown him. Once, he thought he would want to tell the world about Zexal, about him and Astral, and now about him and Yuuya. However, those feelings have flittered away with his carelessness. Yuuma doesn’t want to tell anyone now. Yet the words cling to reality and drag him down. It had seemed like such a simple thing to tell everyone – it shouldn’t have even hurt. Yuuma sighs. If everyone finds out that he used powers to help Yuuma keep it together to win his duels, what might LDS say? What might Maiami say?

Yuuma swallows. What might Yuuya say?


	22. Synchro Summon! Yuzu and Yuuma's Dueling Lesson!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone! sorry this is out two days late - real life for the past two days swept me up!  
> the good news is that this story is getting a new update schedule! starting next week, this story will update **twice** per week on Mondays and Thursdays. that means, with any luck, this story will be completed on February 26, 2018. 
> 
> thank you so much for reading!

On the first day back from summer holidays, Yuuma can’t sit still. He fidgets in his seat, wishing he could have something to look at like a window or a classmate. Instead, his seat is in the back behind Vector and Alit and next to Kotori. Every time he jostles the desk she glares at him; after the fifth time her pen slips on her paper from his jumping, she slaps a hand down on his leg and hisses, “Keep still, Yuuma!”

“I’m trying,” he says back, far louder despite not meaning to be. The teacher turns around and glares at him. Dejectedly, Yuuma slumps forward in his seat. After a month of getting to run and jump and play, the last place Yuuma wants to be is crammed in a classroom. Vector appears the same way: he doodles in his notebook and swings his legs to the beat of the teacher’s pen on the digital board. 

Today  _ really  _ isn't the kind of day Yuuma would want to spend indoors. It’s bright and sunny, complemented by the vivacious green trees and grass that have recently been cut. Yuuma wants to duel on the field today, even if the soccer team might get upset with him for using their turf. Yuuma just wants to be  _ out  _ of this classroom.

He stretches his arms above his head and yawns loudly.

“Yuuma, do you have something to say?” the teachers says, not turning around from his notes.

“Can we have class outside today?”

“No.”

Yuuma drops back into his seat. Vector snickers into his hand before he pushes a note behind him and onto Yuuma’s desk. Inside is a mess of kanji and doodles; there’s a lot of red ink splattered everywhere that Yuuma can only guess is meant to be blood. There’s also a note, hastily scrawled in the corner that reads,  _ Miss your love already? _

Yuuma’s cheeks grow scarlet.  _ Yes, I do! Why can’t he come learn here instead?  _ Completed, Yuuma crumples up the note and tosses it over Vector’s head to land on his deck. Moments later, the ball hits Yuuma square in the nose. Vector grins.

_ Wouldn’t we all like someone like Yuuya-chan?  _

This time, Yuuma doesn’t bite the taunt. He chews on the tip of his pen, thinking of how to phrase it.  _ Do you … think Zexal powers are dangerous?  _ Yuuma tosses it to Vector.

The note doesn’t come back after that. For the rest of the class, Yuuma puts his feet on Vector’s chair and hopes the attention will be enough to spur Vector into writing an answer. However, it does nothing: Yuuma doesn’t get a response for the rest of the class, and when the teacher dismisses them, Vector rips the paper before Yuuma and throws it in the garbage. Yuuma can’t tell if he’s upset or not – emotions are difficult to judge on Vector – but he smiles after that.

“You’re not going to answer my question?” Yuuma asks. “How come?”

“That’s not an answer anyone but  _ you  _ can respond to,” Vector sing-songs. “I can tell you Barian powers are lethal when used wrong, and I’d imagine that certain Astralians have killed each other with their magic, but it all depends on the wielder.” Leaning close so that they can bump noses, Vector says, “Yuuma-kun, could you kill someone?”

Yuuma wrenches his head back. His heart thumps in his chest from the accusation that spins in his mind. “Of – of course not!”

Vector shrugs. “Then why would you be worried?”

“I’m not worried.” Crossing his arms, Yuuma says, “I’m just … curious. What if parts of me could hurt with Zexal powers?”

“Like Don Thousand?” Vector snatches up his backpack, grabs Yuuma’s hand, and leads them both downstairs to the vending machines. He pops in several yen and picks out milk coffee. Yuuma’s always wondered why such a caffeinated beverage is served in a middle school. Vector takes a long sip, dragging out the time, before he answers Yuuma. “Well, are you feeling particularly murderous today, Yuuma-kun?”

Once again, Yuuma’s cheeks blush scarlet. “No, I’m not!”

“Then what are you worried about?”

“What … what if I am?”

“You just said you aren’t though, so wouldn’t you be playing mind games with yourself?”

Yuuma slams his head on the vending machine, groaning. “Vector, this is serious –”

“And you’re not acting like it.” Vector pushes his head off the machine so that they can look eye-to-eye. “Dear Yuuma-kun, even if you were feeling murderous like me, it’s not like the Zexal power will grant your wish to off the entire world. Tone done your ego. Whoever is in control, whether you’re feeling more like Astral or Don Thousand or you, won’t really have any say in what happens with the Zexal power. Didn't you tell me that you can’t ‘do’ it with everyone? Just hope that Yuuya-chan doesn’t have any violent tendencies and you should be fine.”

Yuuma swallows. 

Vector raises an eyebrow. “Oh right, he does.”

Yuuma heads collides again with the vending machine. “This is a bad idea but I don’t know why!” he moans.

This time, Vector pushes his head into the machine further; Yuuma winces from the pressure but does not try to pull back. “Stop whining, Yuuma! Aren’t you supposed to be foolishly stupid and naive? Does the Yuuma-kun I know, and maybe even  _ Shingetsu Rei  _ knew, whine like this? Does the Yuuma we all know overthink things, or does he rush like a blind idiot into challenges because he’s got the magic, ridiculous powers of  _ kattobingu?” _

Sniffing, Yuuma looks away. “You’re not making me feel any better.”

“Not my responsibility ever,” Vector says with a smirk. He holds out the can of coffee. “Drink.”

“But I don’t like coffee …”

“Irrelevant.” Vector pushes the drink against his lips. Just so that he doesn’t have the chance to spill coffee down his shirt, Yuuma takes the drink in his hands and tips it back. The milk is delicious, but the coffee flavour is bitter and gross. When Yuuma brings the glass back down, he sticks out his tongue and scrunches his eyes closed.

“That tastes disgusting, Vector. Why’d you make me drink that?”

“To prove you don’t overthink things and just go along with it.” Vector shrugs, snatches the drink back for himself, and takes another sip. “Your naive, forgiving stupidity hasn’t killed you yet, so you might as well roll with it while your luck lasts. Besides, what’s the worst that can happen? Oh right, you wouldn’t think of that until it hit you.”

“But –”

Vector taps him across the nose. “See ya, Yuuma-kun! Have fun in class!”

Yuuma doesn’t get a chance to say goodbye before he’s spun and pushed towards the lockers. Hurriedly, Yuuma kicks off his inside shoes and slips on his heelies. There are already messages on his D-Gazer from Yuuya who must’ve gotten out of class too. Yuuma wants to check them right away, but he holds off until he’s wheeling through the streets on his way to class.

The entire trip to class drags on even more than Yuuma’s lesson that morning. A pit sticks in his stomach for not being able to skip class and teach the junior youths, but Coach already has that guilt covered: there’s a photo on his D-Gazer from Yuuya of him and his students hugging. Yuuma doesn’t know who snapped the photo, but it catches the smiles of everyone. The message reads,  _ We’ll miss you, Big Bro Yuuma, but we don’t have to say goodbye yet! Learn lots, study hard, and teach us all you can! _

It keeps the smile on his face until Yuuma gets to class, where his mood immediately plummets.

Yuuya isn’t there.

Yuuma throws himself forward so he can bang his palms on the desk, startling Yuzu. She glares up at him and Yuuma gets right to the point: “Where’s Yuuya?”

“Don’t startle me like that,” she says, grabbing the first item near her – a schoolbook – and brandishing it like a weapon. She doesn’t drop her guard when she says, “And he’s not coming today. He’s with Reiji.”

Yuuma swallows hard. If Yuuya is with Reiji, does that mean they’re talking about the Action Duels and Real Solid Vision? Kaito has told him to keep an eye on anyone using that technology or marketing it to the other dimensional cities. Yuuma considers dashing off right that moment to find Yuuya. Yuuma does want to be in class today, especially since Shuuzou will be starting to teach them Synchro Summons; however, Yuuya is more important than any dueling.

Satisfied, Yuuma throws himself upwards and makes for the door. His arm is painfully wrenched backwards by Yuzu who holds tight to him like he might be going to risk his life.

“It’s class time,” she says. “Sit down.”

“But Yuuya –”

“– is not coming today.” She gives him another firm tug until his bottom is planted in the chair and his head is facing forward. “If Yuuya’s not coming today, that doesn’t mean you can skip too. Besides, he has an important,  _ private  _ meeting with Reiji today. Neither of us can go.”

Yuuma sighs. “We can go pick him up though, right?”

“Don’t you have school tomorrow?”

“It’ll be fine,” Yuuma tells her. He repeats the question once more: “Can we pick up Yuuya?”

“If he’s still there, sure, but it shouldn’t take him nearly as long as this class. Maybe he’ll come back … maybe he’ll head home.”

A small pinch of hurt builds in Yuuma. Yuuya never told him he’d be missing class today, and while it’s not Yuuya’s responsibility to tell Yuuma whenever he’ll be away, Yuuma still thinks the thought would count. Yuuya is one of his biggest reasons to go to duel school; Yuuma learns so that someday he can be just like Yuuya. To be here today without his friend leaves Yuuma feeling lost and confused. Being with Yuzu is nice, but it’s better when there’s the three of them.

Synchro dueling doesn’t sound as exciting without Yuuya. Yuuma spends the first part of class imagining what a Hope Synchro Monster might look like, and the second part of class frustratedly trying to Summon an easy monster. Across the field, Yuzu watches him with her arms crossed over her chest. She knows the basics of Synchro Summoning and already has one Monster out; Yuuma, however, can’t understand all the details on the Tuner card.

“You need the Tuner card,” Yuzu explains, “or else you can’t even Synchro Summon. Think of it like a Fusion card: you need that to do a Special Summon.”

Yuuma moans into his cards. “And then what else? I have the Tuner monster.”

Yuzu huffs. “Then you need a non-Tuner monster that meets the requirements of the card you’re trying to Synchro Summon.” She pauses. “Do you want me to check your cards for you? I can help –”

With a grumble, Yuuma slams down a non-Tuner card. He looks across the field at Yuzu and says, “Now what?”

“Does it meet the requirements?”

Yuuma rifles through his Extra Deck. “No.”

“Next turn then.”

Yuzu Synchro Summons on her second turn too. Just before she calls out the Summon, Yuuma stops her with a raise of his hand. “Hey, what special pose do you do when you Synchro Summon?”

Yuzu blinks. “Special pose?”

“Yeah, like when you Fusion Summon you bring your hands together. What happens when you Synchro Summon?”

She doesn’t say anything for a moment, chewing on her lip. “Well … you don’t. You don’t do anything special, I guess.”

Yuuma doesn’t like that answer. “Well next turn I’m making up my own then!”

Yuzu smirks. “If you can get a monster out, that is!”

“I will!”

On his turn, Yuuma draws the card he needs: a normal, non-Tuner Light monster. Yuzu thankfully hadn’t destroyed his Tuner monster last turn. With a cry, Yuuma slams the monster down on the field. “The jetstream of wishes sparkling through the sky! Power through towards a brighter horizon! Synchro Summon!” Yuuma flails with his hands before he throws them to the side, nestling his face in the crook of his elbow.

He dabs.

“Come on out, Hope Accel!”

Before Summoning the card, Yuuma hadn’t checked what Hope Accel might look like. The monster that descends is enveloped in a gentle, blue light that illuminates between the ridges of Hope’s armor. The monster’s eyes glow sapphire, and they stare across the field at Yuzu’s regular Synchro monster.

“That’s not the card Coach gave you!” Yuzu says.

Yuuma smirks. “I always play Hopes.”

Synchro monsters don’t give him quite the benefits as Xyz monsters, but their high ATK and effects make up for the cards released to Special Summon them. Hope Accel’s effect raises its ATK for every monster in the graveyard. Yuuma jumps atop his monster, nestling into Hope’s helmet, and shouts, “Attack Yuzu’s Synchro monster!”

The impact sends Yuzu shooting across the field to land ten feet away on her hands and knees. She blinks and shakes her head before standing on wobbly legs. Their duel pauses; Yuuma hops off Hope and dashes forward to meet her. He hadn’t expected such damage to occur - it’s never caused quite the backblow.

“I’m fine,” Yuzu says at once, stepping forward with a grimace. Her duel disk hangs off her arms that look ready to give out at any moment. There are no visible bruises or cuts on her, but she looks  _ tired.  _ Far more tired than Yuuma thinks she should feel after a lighthearted match. Yuuma opens his mouth to bring it up with her, but she beats him to it: “We should keep dueling.”

“But –”

“This is school, so we need to keep practicing.”

“But we’ve never done  _ that  _ before!”

Yuzu turns around. “Focus, Yuuma.”

“I am focusing –”

“You’re thinking about Yuuya, and trust me, he's fine.”

“I’m thinking about  _ this!  _ What even happened?”

Yuzu shrugs. “Blowback, I guess. We’re using some pretty strong monsters, so it’s going to hurt more. There’s no child-settings on Real Solid Vision, that’s why we don’t teach the little kids how to do all this with the equipment on.” She smiles. “Chin up, Yuuma-kun! It’ll be OK.”

It doesn’t feel OK for the rest of class. Yuuma doesn’t want to attack Yuzu when he knows what it can do to her, so he spends the rest of practice Summoning, Special Summoning, and testing every possible combo he can think of. If Yuzu catches onto his defensive tactics, she doesn’t say anything. Yuuma doesn’t think she should. It’s not like he’s fooling around in class or not teaching himself anything; in fact, Yuuma leans several new strategies from simply playing it defensive. A part of him aches for dueling so passively – Astral has told him that it will never suit him – but Yuuma doesn’t want to push past that quite yet.

When class ends, Yuuma holds Yuzu up to her promise: they leave together to go get Yuuya. Yuuma thinks they will walk to LDS until Yuzu heads around the side of the house and comes back with a bike and two helmets. She tosses one to Yuuma with a wink, then slips her own on.

“This will be much faster.”

There isn’t a second seat in the back, but there’s a small platform that rests above the wheel to attach a basket to. Yuuma sits sideways on that, one hand holding onto the back of Yuzu’s shirt. He kicks his feet out as Yuzu pushes off the sidewalk and begins biking. A warm feeling bubbles in Yuuma’s chest: it feels like when he and Yuuya went to Synchro together, both of them sharing a bike and moving in sync.

“Are you worried about the Real Solid Vision?” Yuzu asks.

“No.”

Yuzu takes a corner sharply and Yuuma can’t hold back a gasp as his body is thrown backwards. “Don’t lie.”

“I wasn’t lying! I promise!”

Yuuma sees her shoulders stiffen. “It isn’t like you to hold back during duels. If you’re scared something bad will happen when dueling, then forget about it. That’s a worry you can save for big competitions. When we’re dueling in class, it’s fun – always. There’s no danger on my dad’s dueling field, and he wouldn’t let us duel if there is.”

“I know that,” Yuuma grumbles. He can’t tell her about Chris and Kaito’s theories though. Yuuma isn’t even sure if he should tell Yuuya about their fears. Yuuma has seen Kaito fly across the field enough times to know that that isn’t the biggest worry for a duelist, but the other side effects make Yuuma wary. Perhaps he’s overthinking the duel. Perhaps this is nothing to worry about, and Yuuma is making a big deal of something minor. 

LDS comes into sight at that moment. In the evening glow, the exterior lights are on and make the building seem like a beacon of light. The hourglass-like structure is covered in mirrors that create such beaming lights. At the top Yuuma spots a crystal, similar to Yuuya’s Pendulum, pulsing with a gentle, blue light. 

There are no students out on the courtyard dueling after class. In fact, there are no students anywhere to be seen. On the walk up to the stairs, Yuuma notices how silent LDS is after hours. Inside the building, it is even quieter: there is one receptionist typing away on her computer. Yuuma looks around to see if Yuuya is waiting for them, but he supposes Yuuya could be on any of the hundreds of floors in this skyscraper.

Yuzu steps up to the receptionist’s desk and asks her, “Hi, we’re here for Sakaki Yuuya. He should be with Akaba-kun.”

The woman smiles. “I’ll page him. Can I take your name, please?”

“Hiiragi Yuzu.”

Yuuma rises up on his tiptoes to see over the desk. He sees the receptionist punch in several buttons on a holographic screen. A moment later, there is a beep. “Hello, Akaba-san. I have Hiiragi Yuzu here paging for Sakaki Yuuya. What would you like me tell her?”

Yuuma expects to hear Reiji’s voice; however, no sound comes out. The woman turns off the call after a quick bow and a thank-you. It’s then that Yuuma notices the small metal piece sticking out her ear, that isn’t an earring or headphone but a phone.

The receptionist smiles up at them again. “Akaba-san and Sakaki-kun will be down in a moment. Please have a seat until they arrive.”

It’s hard to sit though. Yuuma paces around the room, looking down every hallway and near any elevator for Yuuya to appear. Yuzu gives up on making him sit only because she looks tired from the dueling and biking. The longer Yuuma waits, the more he thinks that Yuuya isn’t even here, and that Yuuma’s waiting for nothing, and that he should just text Yuuya to tell him he’s coming over this instant for a sleepover –

Yuuya steps out of an elevator, followed by Reiji. Both of them look content and unharmed, smiling at each other as they discuss what sounds like the finer details of Pendulum dueling. Yuuma expected a bit more  melancholy, and so he stands with his mouth hanging open for a minute too long.

“Yuuma?” Yuuya says upon noticing him. “What are you doing here too?”

“Waiting!” Yuuma says, closing his mouth at once. “You missed class and I wanted to see you.”

“You’re going to miss the train!”

Yuuma shakes his head. “No I’m not! The train runs forever.” He peeks around Yuuya to see Reiji; he’s already lost his smile, appearing quite stern and distant. He looks like Kaito only taller and dressed nicely. “Hiya, Reiji!”

Reiji’s nods his head at him. 

From the couch Yuzu laughs. “Yuuya, you think Yuuma would go home after he missed class with you? He was practically dragging me here. He hasn’t sat still once since we got here. I guess … well, we both missed you, and you can’t walk home alone.” She holds out her hand. “Let’s go home, Yuuya.”

Yuuya takes her hand, and grabs Yuuma’s as well. Over his shoulder, Yuuya says, “Thanks for the help, Reiji! See you next week!”

On the walk out, Yuuma contemplates how all three of them are going to fit on Yuzu’s single bike, not even meant for two people much less three. Maybe Yuuya can sit in the front and Yuuma can sit in the back, or both he and Yuuya can sit in the back, legs and arms touching. However, instead of doing any of those things Yuuya grabs the bike next to him and unlocks it from the rack. His bike is bright red with two stars on it, and like Yuzu’s it has a little platform sticking off the back of it to carry parcels or to attach another seat to.

Yuuma declares, “I’m riding back on Yuuya’s bike!”

Yuzu shrugs. “Fine by me – you were heavy to pedal.”

“Am not!” Yuuma says. 

Yuzu snickers, but her smile is good natured and friendly. “I’ll head home now, since you should be able to make it to the train station without any trouble.” With a wave, she calls out, “See you in class tomorrow!” Her bike disappears in the dark.

Yuuma looks at Yuuya. Yuuya looks back at him. Now just the two of them, Yuuma opens his mouth to ask Yuuya just where he went, what he’s been doing. It feels like they haven’t seen each other in ages despite it only being less than two days. 

“Yuuya –”

“You’re asking about today, aren’t you?” Yuuya sighs. For how gentle his smile appears in the moonlight, his expression is guarded. Yuuma knows this side of Yuuya: he’s nervous, he’s scared, he’s protective. Yuuma wriggles his fingers into Yuuya’s hands, joining them together. Yuuya doesn’t say anything, but one he has hold of Yuuma’s digits he doesn’t let go. His eyes are clouded over as he looks away. 

“It’s … nothing,” Yuuya tells him.

“It doesn’t look like nothing,” Yuuma says. “You should tell me.”

“It’s nothing,” Yuuya repeats, this time more firmly. He hops onto his bike and motions for Yuuma to get on behind him. Kicking off from the pavement, Yuuya takes them through side-street after side-street. The city is asleep at this time: there aren’t many cars on the roads, and there are even fewer pedestrians taking late-night strolls. Yuuma leans into Yuuya’s back and closes his eyes, listening to the sounds of the waves.

Without opening his eyes, Yuuma says, “Do you know when the Real Solid Vision systems will arrive in Heartland? That was what you and Reiji were talking about, right?”

Yuuya stiffens. “I think they’ll be coming out in the fall, so soon. I think.” He ignores the second question.

Sensing the rising anxiety and tension, Yuuma laughs. “That’ll be great then! I can’t wait to be able to have Action Duels in Heartland too! That means you’ll have to come over more to duel me!”

Yuuya chuckles, though it’s weak and carried off by the wind. “Right.”

Yuuma tightens his grip around Yuuya’s waist. “Are you scared to duel me, Yuuya?”

“No,” Yuuya says at once. Yuuma tries to crane his neck around to see if Yuuya is biting his lips or scrunching up his nose, or anything else that might show his discomfort. However, Yuuma nearly topples off the bike before he can get a proper look. He settles back, sighing.

“It’s OK if you are. Zexal power is pretty overwhelming at first. But …” Yuuma smiles, pressing his head into the middle of Yuuya’s back. “It’s pretty amazing when you get used to it. It’s not like we’re going to just up and do it all the time – there are requirements, and we’ve both got to be into it. The whole world saw us do it, so maybe we can show them more and more.”

Yuuya doesn’t say anything. His arms stay stiff as he pedals through the moonlit streets and towards the train station. It’s the only area of the city where Yuuma can’t hear the sound of his own breath: the building is tall and strikingly bright. Yuuya parks and chains his bike even when Yuuma asks him, “Hey, aren’t you going home now?”

“In a bit,” Yuuya tells him. His eyes are red.

Inside, it’s noisy as heels click on the ground and trains enter and exit the station. There are more people inside than Yuuma has seen in the entire city. However, Yuuma’s walked this path a thousand times, and he marches forward to find a seat close to his train gate. The advertisements on the walls blind him; really, Yuuma should be more tired than this but he’s awake as ever.

“Do you want to come home with me?” Yuuma asks. “My sister already knows who you are, and she’d probably be excited to meet you. But, if she does see you in the morning, just ignore her if she talks about the kiss. She’s all over that for some reason, and who knows why? I mean, you’re the tournament champion – shouldn’t she be more excited about that?”

Yuuya nods. He tugs at his goggles, fingers quivering.

Yuuma reaches up to touch the goggles for him. “What’s wrong?”

Yuuya shakes his head. He bites his lip and closes his eyes. Even when his eyes are pinched together, Yuuma spots tears gathering in the corners. Yuuya’s face heats up like a tomato when he’s sad, cheeks growing red as he tries to hold back outright bawling in the middle of Maiami’s interdimensional train station. If it were Yuuya speaking, he’d say this was embarrassing; however, Yuuma simply readies his sleeve to wipe away Yuuya’s unshed tears.

Only Yuuya never opens his eyes. When the train enters the station, Yuuma goes to stand up, feeling conflicted between leaving Yuuya in the station or missing his train and skipping school the following day. In the end, it’s Yuuya who makes the decision: he stands, eyes still closed, and whispers to Yuuma, “Let’s go home.”

For Yuuya’s sake, Yuuma yanks down his goggles and pulls him onto the train. At this hour, there are dozens of open seats. Yuuma picks one where there he can pull up his legs and push them against a bar. Next to him, Yuuya curls in close to himself. His jacket becomes a blanket that he wraps himself up in, folding his legs to his chest and pushing his face into the space between his knees. He keeps his head down for the entire trip.

In the train station, Yuuma thought he disliked the noise. Yet being in the silent train car is even worse: Yuuma hears every breath and foot tap, every slight shift of the train wheels on the tracks. It becomes maddening within the first ten minutes, so to fill the silence Yuuma begins to talk to Yuuya about Synchro Summoning. Even if Yuuya doesn’t listen to him, Yuuma tells him everything he learned today, starting with how complicated it is for him and how the pros don’t outweigh the cons when compared to Xyz Summoning. Yuuya listens to him with his head down, never once opening his mouth to say anything.

When that doesn’t work, Yuuma tells Yuuya about his fight with his sister. He’d told him and Yuzu about it on the last day of duel class, but now Yuuma can tell him about what really happened. He tells her about how he’s supposed to stay in school and work hard, and how that might be easier if there is fancy duel equipment at Heartland Academy. When that doesn’t get Yuuya talking, Yuuma talks about the new booster packs and how tomorrow before class Yuuma will check the convenience store for new cards.

Yuuya doesn’t say a word for the entire ride back home.

The train rolls into the station and Yuuma doesn't have to push through hundreds of people to get out before the door closes. He still holds tight to Yuuya’s wrist; with his goggles still on, Yuuma doesn’t think Yuuya will be able to see him. Unfortunately, they’d left Yuuya’s bike chained back in Maiami, so Yuuma and Yuuya walk together. A few minutes into the walk, Yuuma clicks out his heelies to do laps around Yuuya.

“Come skate with me, Yuuya!” he calls out.

“I’ll walk,” Yuuya tells him, faking a smile that sinks away the moment Yuuma turns his back.

“But then we’ll get home  _ so  _ late, and I want to sleep.”

Yuuya sighs. He clicks open his heels and skates forward a bit, legs unsteady and head swerving from side to side to see Yuuma. Sensing his friend’s confusion, Yuuma skates close and takes hold of Yuuya’s sweaty hand. 

“I’ll lead you,” Yuuma says. “Just follow me.”

Skating with Yuuya feels far more disjointed than Yuuma had expected, especially when Yuuya can’t match his rhythm. They pull on each other’s arm, skating in opposite directions at times. Yuuma tightens his grip on Yuuya’s hand as they make a bend that Yuuya leans against. It doesn’t feel like being in connection anymore.

When they get home, Yuuma shows Yuuya how to enter his house: it’s the first thing tonight that seems to snap Yuuya out of his misery, and he glances up at the roof with wide eyes.

“You … don’t go you through the front door?”

“This way’s better,” Yuuma says with a wink. “And also because my Gran and Sis are asleep and probably shouldn’t know what time I’m getting home at. What matters is that they know I make it home, and I always do.” Yuuma takes one more look at Yuuya before he hoists himself up to the first section of the roof. He uses his back to brace himself until he can get a firm hold of the roof to lift himself up to. 

Yuuma peeks down over the roof and says, “Hey, now it’s your turn.”

Sniffing, Yuuya reaches outwards. His hands continue to miss where Yuuma points towards, and after several tries he seems unable to reach it.

Leaning back, Yuuma sighs. “You need to take off your glasses if you can’t see. If you’re crying, that’s fine.”

Yuuya’s hand rise up to his face. The rubber lining of the goggles sticks to his wet cheeks; slowly, he lifts them from his face and pushes them up to rest on the top of his head. He has been crying, eyelashes soaked and eyes red. He rubs at his face to clean himself up. Then, taking a deep breath, he stretches up to grab the first handhold. Yuuma is glad Entertainment duelists are fit because none of his friends are able to climb up the roof. Luckily, Yuuya seems to get the hang of it early, bracing himself up against the wall and slowly pushing himself upwards to scramble onto the tiling. He takes Yuuma’s outstretched hand to pull him up the rest of the way.

Next, Yuuma pulls open the shutters to his window and reaches up to grab the edge of the window board. Then he pulls himself up, legs pushing him off so that he has enough momentum to get him through the window and tumbling into his hammock. He has but a second to spare before Yuuya falls in after him, landing on the hammock, upturning it, and sending him to the ground on top of Yuuma.

“Ack!” Yuuma shouts as Yuuya lands on his back. He quickly covers his mouth to stop any more sounds lest he wake up his sister and grandmother. Looking over his shoulder, Yuuma rolls his eyes. “You could try to land better.”

Yuuya doesn’t meet his eyes. Instead, he looks up and around the moonlit room at all of the treasures. At this hour, there are shadows everywhere, tucked between the statues, figures, paintings, and crates that Yuuma’s parents have brought back on their adventures. There are pictures in the room too, some of Yuuma and his family on various family excursions, but now several photos of him and his friends post-Barian Invasion. Several of the shots give Yuuma a warm feeling in his chest: everyone’s smiling.

Climbing to his feet, Yuuya walks around the room to admire the decorations. He examines some of the valuable treasures that Yuuma wonders how he hasn’t broken, before he moves onto more exciting and larger decorations. Yuuya spends a long time staring at the replica Numeron Code, a present from Chris and Kaito. It’s made out of simple metal and glass, but it’s the thought that counts. 

“That’s the key to the universe,” Yuuma tells him. “Astral was a protector of it. It probably didn’t happen in your timeline, but maybe it would’ve helped fix some problems.”

Yuuya peers closely at it. “What does it do?”

Yuuma smiles. “Grants wishes.” Then, laughing, Yuuma adds, “And, y’know, it knows everything and anything about the universe. It probably even had your universe written in there too.”

“And this is it?”

“That’s a replica. Astral has the real one, I think, or maybe he gave it away.” Yuuma shrugs. “This Key, and the Numeron Code, were wish-making devices. They give me hope and the power to  _ kattobingu  _ even when things seem rough.” Gently, Yuuma takes Yuuya’s hand and leads him back to the hammock. They don’t quite fit together, and Yuuma supposes it won’t be the comfiest sleep, but he’s happy so long as he’s with Yuuya.

Nestled against him, Yuuya sighs. There’s no smile on his lips, nor twinkles in his eyes. 

Yuuma bows his head to rest against Yuuya’s.  _ That’s fine,  _ he tells himself.  _ I’d rather Yuuya be honest than be happy for me.  _


	23. "Shut Up, Vector!" Revealing the Painful Truth of the Dimensional Cities

On the next day of class, Yuuma finds a stack of papers on his desk. He is immediately curious, leafing through each one to read the text. There isn’t much, but just by its general layout and the ‘sign here’ at the bottom Yuuma knows it’s a permission form.

“What’s this?” he cries.

From her desk, Yuzu chuckles. “Have you bothered to look over it yet?”

“I’m doing that right now,” he says. There isn’t much to read on the permission other than legal jargon that Yuuma doesn’t even think Akari will read. What is important are the words at the top: field trip. Yuuma’s class hasn’t been on a field trip yet, and though he remembers Yuzu once saying that her father always planned one trip per year, Yuuma never thought he’d be able to go on it. This year they’re visiting Academia to explore what traditional duel schools looked like. The page details which areas they’ll be visiting and learning about. Yuuma doesn’t care as much about that; what he’s most excited for  is  the chance of seeing the Fusion Dimension again.

“Oi, Yuuya! Have you seen this?”

When Yuuya looks up from his desk, there’s a fake smile on his face. Yuuma suspects it’s because Yuuya keeps going over to LDS to meet with Reiji, but whenever he tries to pry for any information Yuuya doesn’t budge. Apparently he and Reiji are just going to meet and talk about dueling. Yuuma thinks the meetups have something to do with the new Real Solid Vision technology set to be exported dimension-wide. 

“Yuuya, look!” Yuuma slams down a paper on his desk. “We’ve been here before! Wouldn’t it be awesome to go back and explore some more?”

“You can’t dash off,” Yuzu tells him. “We’re going on a tour through the old schoolhouse.”

Yuuma looks back at the photograph. Academia looks more like a prison in his mind, all dark, rough stones and tall, impenetrable walls. In history textbooks Yuuma has seen photographs of Duel Academia back when it was hosting legendary duelist Juudai Yuuki. This fortress looks nothing like the bubbly school back then. 

“I know  _ that,”  _ Yuuma tells her, “but it’ll still be a chance to explore. We’ll check out all the cool hiding places, maybe even use some ancient dueling equipment!” Leaning close, he asks, “Hey, dees Academia have LDS technology because the Professor brought it over, or would it have old technology?”

“New technology,” Yuuya tells him. “That shouldn’t have disappeared with the rewrite.”

“Well then we’re dueling there!” Yuuma states. He holds the paper above his head, peering through the thin sheet. “Sis is going to have to sign this for me if I ever want to see the light of day again. I promised her that I wouldn’t keep any more secrets, so she’ll have to know if I go on this trip.”

“That isn’t a bad thing,” Yuzu says. She flicks her gaze to the stack of papers, then takes one for herself. “Nothing bad has ever happened on these trips – my dad’s taken me on every single one – but it’s good to be safe.”

Yuuma smirks. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Yuuya tries to smile with him, though his cheeks pinch midway and he ends up grimacing. “Nothing bad, I suppose. That place has been scoured for Academia technology. It’s a tourist attraction so nothing dangerous will be there, and everything we’ll see is just for show.”

“Right! Though even if we did see something suspicious, the worst thing that can happen is we’ll have to run away and fight some evil. We’ve all got experience with that, so we’re good.” With a sigh, Yuuma flops down in his chair. He kicks his feet up onto the desk so that he can lean back in his chair. It feels cool and hip until he nearly falls backwards on the floor. Righting himself, Yuuma says, “Hey, when is this?”

“Next week,” says Yuzu. “These forms are due by Saturday – do not bring them in late.”

“I won’t, I won’t,” Yuuma tells her. “I’ll give it to Sis tonight and get her to sign it. For sure she’ll let me go.”

Yuzu looks as if she has more to say, but in that moment Shuuzou enters the classroom with more Synchro decks. He tells them all that they’ll be practicing either with their own Synchro monsters or with these ones, and that the goal is to practice using the card’s effects. There is only a short lesson today, which Yuuma tries to pay attention to only because he wants to duel Yuuya. Unfortunately, that same wish is what keeps him from focusing, and he stills blanks the lesson.

They bustle into the duel room and pick out a place to stand while Shuuzou starts up the machinery. Before they can begin dueling, Yuuma hurries across the field to Yuuya’s side. “I want to see your Synchros!”

Blushing, Yuuya says, “Can’t I show them to you in the duel? The effect will be ruined.”

“The effect where I don’t know all your special abilities?” Yuuma teases. “Show me before the duel.”

Yuuya acquiesces. The first card is Clear Wing, a dragon Yuuma has seen before and whose transparent wings and shiny armor put Hope to shame. Yuuma remembers this card as Yuugo’s. In fact, the dragon reminds him of Yuugo: bright and lively. The zebra-striped tail is an added feature that makes Yuuma giggle.

The next dragon, however, Yuuma has never seen before. It’s a Synchro Pendulum monster, something Yuuma didn’t even know could exist in the world of Duel Monsters. Yuuma isn’t even sure how to  _ play  _ that card, and the long list of text underneath the picture doesn’t answer any of his questions. Nonetheless, Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon represents Yuuya’s bond to Yuugo. 

“Bring both of them out,” Yuuma says. “I want to see them in real life.”

True to his word, Yuuya does. Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon manifests during Yuuya’s fifth turn, appearing from the sky like a great bird. The beast’s wings take up his entire field. Yuuma is surprised the ceiling doesn’t break from Wing Dragon’s height, but miraculously the dueling field stays standing. 

Yuuma skips up the small platforms along the field so that he can jump onto Wing Dragon’s neck. It’s a habit Yuuma has begun to notice: Yuuya is always connected to and riding with his dragons. Yuuma supposes it might be a connection to Zarc, or to his dimensional counterparts, all who have dragon cards. Yuuma wants to climb up there with him, in fact. He’s ridden on Hope once or twice, but never an actual dragon.

So Yuuma does.

He leaps forward just as Clear Wing rises over him. His fingers catch on the dragon’s leg, and he lifts off into the sky. Just like climbing into his room, Yuuma pulls himself up along the dragon’s calf until he can stand on its toes. By this point, Yuuya has noticed him. Rather than shout at him to get down though, Yuuya appears speechless and starstruck. He sits atop Wing Dragon’s head and watches, mouth open, as Yuuma pulls himself up the dragon’s side and rests between its wings. Yuuma’s breath hammers in his chest and his arms ache from climbing up scales as hard as diamonds.

“I did it,” Yuuma says.

Yuuya still doesn’t have the words to answer him. Clear Wing settles in the sky, wings beating just enough to keep them off the ground. Yuuma crawls to the side of the dragon’s belly and peers through its glass wings to see the ground below. They’re higher up than Yuuma imagined; he stumbles back, shocked.

The fear dissipates quickly. Leaning once more over the edge, Yuuma calls down to Yuzu, “Climb up!”

She shakes her head. “You’re supposed to be dueling.”

“I am!”

“Take your turn then.”

Yuuma looks back at Yuuya. He looks a bit happier, hands rubbing the smooth scales of his dragon. The Real Solid Vision does a number for Wing Dragon’s design: it breathes, it smells, and it feels just like a dragon. After a moment Yuuma chuckles and says, “Guess we should finish our duel then, huh?”

Atop the dragon, Yuuya leans forward to give him a gentle kiss. “Time to finish the duel.”

Yuuma spectacularly loses all his life points that turn, throwing him to the ground so hard that even Yuuya looks worried. Yuuma doesn’t feel the pain though: the kiss is still on his lips, a taste that Yuuma can’t put his finger on but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to sneak another one. As Yuuya and Yuzu lift him up, Yuuma thinks of all the places he could kiss Yuuya: on the dueling field, at school, at home, at the beach, at Academia. Yuuma wants another kiss just like that, and maybe more and more kisses too. 

However, Yuuya and Yuzu pull him to his feet before he can say anything, and Yuuma can’t think clearly enough to realise that Yuuya’s attack shouldn’t have pushed him so far. 

When class ends, Yuuya holds onto Yuuma’s hand long after they’ve left You Show, waving goodbye to Yuzu. Yuuma looks at their hands together and squeezes tight. He expects Yuuya to let go after that, one last goodbye for the night, but Yuuya never lets go. In fact, he holds tighter, squeezing his hands.

“Are you coming home again?” Yuuma asks. “Don’t you have school tomorrow?”

“I do,” Yuuya says, “so I’ll just walk you to the train station. I’ll get in trouble if I stay past that.”

Yuuma laughs; Akari had been quite surprised that morning to see Yuuya coming down the stairs in Yuuma’s pyjamas. He swings their connected hands, feeling the warm bubbles rise up in his stomach to warm him up. 

They walk in silence for several moments, appreciating the stars and suns and galaxies overhead. It’s beautiful to behold, like someone paint-splattered the black night to drive the worst of the shadows away. There’s always hope in the heavens and stars, thinks Yuuma. Somewhere up there is Astral, a messenger for the Parallel Worlds. Yuuma wonders what Astral might think of Yuuya; after all, Yuuya is far more like Yuuma than like Astral. Yuuma wonders what Astral might say when they learn that he and Yuuya formed Zexal together. 

_ Astral would approve,  _ thinks Yuuma.  _ Astral would like Yuuya too. _

At the train station, Yuuya doesn’t let go of Yuuma’s hands. Instead, he draws him closer for a tight hug that shocks the air out of Yuuma’s lungs. Yuuya’s goggles bonk into his head and his chin digs into Yuuma’s neck. He can hear the sounds of Yuuya’s breath – fast and uneven – in his ear, and it tickles enough for Yuuma to stretch up so he’s the same height.

“Thank you,” Yuuya whispers to him.

Yuuma can’t whisper. “You’re welcome, Yuuya!” Yuuma gives one more tight hug before he lets go. He can hear his train approaching on the tracks, a sound that will never leave Yuuma’s head. He stands alongside Yuuma until the train stops, and before he goes Yuuya sneaks one more hug. 

“See you tomorrow!”

Yuuma lets go and dashes onto the train. Before the door closes, he waves back. “See you!”

The train zips away. There aren’t more than a dozen people on this entire train, so Yuuma spreads himself out on four seats and kicks up his legs to watch TV on his D-Pad until he gets home. They’re still talking about the championships on the news; because he’s on a Heartland television station, his name is always mentioned as ‘the Heartland Champion.’ Yuuya and Yuzu are on there too, and Dennis!

Yuuma wonders if he’ll ever see those duelists again. He supposes that they might see Sora when they go to Academia, though Yuuma isn’t even sure if Sora will keep coming to class. He reminds himself to ask Yuzu about it – if anyone would know about his whereabouts, it would he her. Yuuya, meanwhile, would know about Dennis, who Yuuma also wants to see. 

On Yuuma’s D-Pad a notification light flicks on. It’s a message from Kaito, as brief as he can be:  _ News on Action Duels? _

The only differences Yuuma has noticed are in Yuuya and in the blowback of duels. No one has mentioned any updates, and no one has told him anything suspicious, and no one  _ has  _ seemed suspicious. Yuuya’s visits with Reiji aren’t a priority for Yuuma unless it involves how depressed Yuuya has been acting. 

_ Nah, all good!  _ Yuuma writes back.  _ Nothing to worry about.  _

_ That’s suspicious … _

Yuuma flushes red.  _ Is not!!!! Is not!!! >< Its good to know nothing bad happened.  _

Kaito doesn’t reply back. Yuuma pushes his D-Pad forward on the seat, sighing. If Kaito knew he was going to Academia, would he expect him to spy? Would Kaito want to know of all the secrets of Entertainment duels even after Vector spilled the secrets for everyone? Yuuma won’t share Yuuya’s most precious secrets until he’s ready, even if he believes the world should know, but is Kaito an exception to this rule? Can Yuuma … lie to Kaito?

The guilt gnaws at Yuuma’s stomach until he pulls his D-Pad back and writes one more message:  _ Reiji should be shipping out Real Solid Vision soon. So far no problems (: _

It’s the best thing Yuuma can say. He waits for the message for the rest of the train ride, but Kaito never gets back to him. When Yuuma reaches his stop, he drags himself home, too tired to get on his heelies and ride back. He climbs up the side of his house to get into his room, which looks a bit messier than normal because he and Yuuya had taken relics off the shelves last night and never put them back. It’s a mess for tomorrow though; Yuuma throws himself down on the bed and falls right to sleep.

* * *

Yuuma plans to wake up on time so he can show Akari the permission form before school. He distantly remembers setting an alarm of some sort, maybe not for the correct time but close to; however, Yuuma doesn’t wake up until Akari is shouting up into the attic, “Yuuma, school!”

He throws himself from the bed, wobbling the hammock and throwing himself onto the ground. He hits with a loud  _ thud!  _ that gets Akari to stop shouting at him. Yuuma rubs the sleep from his eyes and looks around the room, eyes falling on his D-Pad. The digital screen shows that he slept through his alarm clock, but what’s worse is that Yuuma sees he is going to be late for class, and more late because he still has to show Akari the permission form. 

Jumping to his feet, Yuuma dashes downstairs into his proper room, throwing on his school uniform and gathering the remainder of his things. He forgets his deck upstairs and hurries to retrieve that as well. On the main level, Gran and Sis are both waiting for him at the table. Akari has his lunch waiting and a quick breakfast for him to eat. When she sees him bumbling down the stairs, she pushes the food towards him.

“Eat, Yuuma.”

“I am, I am!” Yuuma says. He grabs the toast with his free hand, and pushes a paper towards Akari. “School field trip – sign please.”

Only Akari doesn’t sign; instead, she reads it. When Yuuma pushes the pen closer to her, she swats it away. “I’m not signing off until I read it, Yuuma, so get that out of my face. I don’t want to be signing you away as a slave or something.”

Through a mouthful of toast, Yuuma says, “I wouldn’t get you to sign  _ that.” _

“I wouldn’t put it past you,” she tells him. Looking up, she narrows her eyes. “This is a permission form for duel school, isn’t it?”

Already Yuuma can feel his heart sinking in his chest. “Well of course it is – it says You Show on the top, not Heartland Academy.”

“I can read, Yuuma –”

“Then why’d you ask?” Yuuma leans on the table, groaning. “Akari, I’m going to be late and I need that paper to hand in today.”

She doesn’t budge. “Today? You waited until the last minute?”

“Well no, it’s not the last minute, but I want to hand it in asap.”

“Then you can wait.” She glances at her watch. “You’re already late. I know when class starts.”

_ Akari’s in a mood,  _ thinks Yuuma. He drags himself away from the table to go and get more food. If Akari’s going to make him late with her overprotective tendencies, he might as well eat a proper breakfast. There’s boiled eggs in the fridge that Yuuma grabs, as well as pickled cucumbers that he picks through. Akari doesn’t look up.

“So you’re travelling to Fusion to go to a school.”

“Not just any school - a duel academy back before there were duel schools. It’s like cool history, like learning about duel monsters ages ago when there were legendary duelists and not pro-league champions. Please, Akari, even if you’re suspicious you should still let me go because I’ll learn so much from this! And I’ll get to be with my friends!”

Akari huffs. “You and your friends have gotten into all sorts of trouble. Will that happen again?”

Yuuma folds his arms. “I can’t promise something like that –”

“Yuuma –”

“Fine, I won’t do anything stupid. All right?” Holding out his hand, Yuuma says, “Please give me back my paper, Sis.”

Rolling her eyes, Akari puts the paper down on the table and signs it; her signature looks more like a series of squiggles than the kanji of her name. She holds the paper out for him with her lips pursed together and eyebrows set low over her purple eyes. “Be careful, all right?”

Yuuma hugs her tight. “I’m not leaving until next week - no need to get so anxious.”

As he hugs her, Yuuma wishes he could stay this way for a while longer. He’s been meaning to spend more time with Akari – with his family in general – but with duel school and regular school and friends and assignments Yuuma just doesn’t know when to squeeze in time to spend with his sister. They get along well enough that they could do anything together, but now that their schedules are packed Yuuma wonders if this will be the only time today he sees her.

She seems to realise this too, kissing the top of his head. “Have a good day at classes today.” She pulls him back, and if she ever had a sensitive expression it is now replaced by a smirk that would put Kaito’s to shame. “Pay attention – no fooling around.”

Yuuma raises one hand up to salute. “Roger!”

She pushes his backpack towards him and gives him an extra shove forward. “To class, now! You’re going to miss all of your first period!”

“Love you!” Yuuma calls out, dashing down the steps. He doesn’t bother to close the door behind him; he clicks open his heelies and pushes off the sidewalk to gain momentum. 

It’s bright and sunny for a summer morning. The streets are full of commuters and shoppers heading towards the city centre. Yuuma, thankfully, misses every bit of traffic on the way to school. When Vector gave him terrible directions last year, Yuuma learned quickly the fastest ways to get to school. These proper, useful shortcuts involve skating through narrow alleyways and on dusty, unpaved paths that lead him behind the school.

As he approaches, Yuuma cranes his head to see if classes are still going on. There is a short break for snacks between his classes and Yuuma hopes he doesn’t miss that time. However, students all seem to be sitting at their desks looking unrested and bored. Halfway through peeking in every class, Yuuma realises he’s going to be spotted by one of his old teachers. He dashes the rest of the way down to the main entrance. At once, he’s spotted by the secretary.

“Tsukumo-kun?”

“Going to class,” Yuuma says, keeping his head low and maintaining an even pace to the lockers. To his surprise, the secretary doesn’t follow him. Yuuma takes the steps down into the locker bay where he swaps his outdoor shoes for his indoor shoes and hangs up his jacket. On the way to class, Yuuma munches down on one of the rice balls Akari packed for him. 

Yuuma’s classroom is on the third floor, and being the oldest in his school gives him some privileges. For one, Yuuma knows for certain that the best water fountain is located on the third floor, and that the best view is in the outer, third-level classrooms. Before Yuuma goes to class, he takes one more look out the windows to see if he can spot Maiami or Academia or City. 

“Yuuma,” Kotori hisses. Her head peeks around the doorway. “It’s break time – get in here! You’re late!”

Chuckling, Yuuma says, “I’m on time for my second class.”

“Not if you don’t get here fast enough.”

Yuuma slips in just as he spots the elevator open and his history teacher enter. Yuuma thinks all of his teachers are bland and uninteresting, but this particular teacher is extra boring. For one, he makes them write notes every day and there is never anything interactive like in Shuuzou’s classes. He also is old, and bland, and when he talks Yuuma hears buzzing noises instead. 

So Yuuma tunes him out the moment he steps through the door. He doodles on his paper and fiddles with his D-Gazer until everyone else stops taking notes. Then the teacher makes them think: it’s sharing time. Yuuma never shares because he forgets to pay attention, and also because there are a handful of students who  _ always  _ have something to share.

Vector, for example,  _ always  _ has to share. The moment the teacher calls for open questions, Vector’s hand shoots into the air so fast that the momentum propels his body up too, and he knocks into his desk. Metal screeches on hardwood. The students cover their ears;  only Vector stands, proud above everyone else.

“Yes, Shingetsu-kun?”

Vector’s lips curl back in a smile. “I want to talk about the time rewrite in Maiami.”

Yuuma’s ears pick up those words faster than he hears dueling lingo in the hallways. At once Yuuma is shocked and at attention. What does Vector think he’s doing bringing up such a topic? They’ve never once talked about anything past the Dark Games – would their teacher even know anything about the time rewrite? Or … Yuuma swallows. Does Vector want to teach the class today, as he so often does with trivial information? This would be much, more more than trivial though. 

The beating of his hearts drowns out the teacher’s next words, but Vector’s are clear as day: “Of course I can talk a bit about it.” He sweeps a hand across the classroom for dramatic effect. When his eyes meet Yuuma’s, they crinkle in maddening glee. 

“Now,” Vector begins, “we all like to assume that the world has always been united, correct? We’ve always had neighboring cities? However, how many of you have visited those cities as children? How many of us, until last year, knew of those cities?” Vector doesn’t give anyone more than a second to raise their hands. “None. Pity.”

He steps aside from his desk to walk to the front. The teacher’s lips set in a frown but he doesn’t ask Vector to sit down.

“Why is it, you suppose, that we never visited our neighbors until recently? How come they’ve only just  _ appeared.  _ Well, your guess is as good as mine: obviously, someone was dabbling with magic – time-turning magic, to be exact. The timeline we’re in now involves other dimensions and dimensional cities, which never existed two years ago. Thus, we’ve been merged into what is now known as the Standard timeline, a reality formed from the events of a disaster in Maiami.”

There are murmured voices in the class. Vector sweeps his audience with his boiling eyes, running fingers through tangled, red hairs. Yuuma feels his voice choke up – Vector doesn’t plan on dropping the secrets on everyone, does he?

“Now, how do we know this? If you ever get a chance to visit Maiami, you’ll meet some pretty extraordinary duelists who know more than simply Pendulum Summoning; in fact, they’ve already learned them all, something that no other dimensional city knows of. Suspicious, huh?”

Vector swings a leg over the teacher’s deck and settles atop books and papers. His Heartland uniform is a bit too big and Vector makes it obvious by letting his pants droop and his shirt remain semi-untucked. He toys with his tie as he gazes around the room, looking for disbelievers or admirers, or maybe just to stare so hard at Yuuma that he has to tear his gaze away.

_ No,  _ thinks Yuuma.  _ This isn’t how I wanted everyone to know. _

“Oi, Yuuma-kun!”

It gets worse.

Yuuma lifts his head enough to see Vector beckon him over with a finger. His head is tilted back, white neck exposes.  _ Come get me,  _ it taunts to Yuuma.

“Eh, Vector?”

“You know about this too! Why don’t you tell the class about the rewrite?”

Every pair of eyes in the classroom turns towards him. He’s never told anyone before – the most Vector knows is whatever he’s managed to learn from the internet. Even Kotori’s looking at him confusedly, perhaps wondering how much  _ she  _ doesn’t know, how much  _ she’s  _ been left out of the loop. Yuuma’s entire body is drenched in a cold, creeping sweat that trickles down his neck and back. He’s stuck.

“Well,” Yuuma says in the best voice he can manage, “you see, we already learned that dragons created the world? And, yeah, they also maintained it, and there were some duels, and then bad stuff happened, and yeah, that’s it.” Yuuma nods twice. “That’s it.”

Vector leans across the desk like a predatory animal. “Are you  _ sure?” _

“‘Course I am,” Yuuma says, sticking his chin out like Shark does when he has an Opinion and it Needs to Be Shared. 

“I heard there were many people involved, particularly the finalists of the MCS. The Lancers were created to keep out Academia, who had already destroyed Heartland and had moved on to conquer both Maiami and City. Isn’t it grand that we’re all together now because of wishes? We’ve got wishes healing this world too, but wouldn’t it be nice to know that we weren’t the only ones shaping fate –”

“Enough, Vector!” Yuuma says. “You don’t know everything about this.”

Vector’s next words cut through ice. “And you do?”

Yuuma doesn’t back down. “I do.”

Laughter bounces off the room. “Care to share, Yuuma-kun?”

Yuuma narrows his gaze. Suddenly, Yuuma realises what it feels like to be Yuuya. Yuuma wants everyone to know, but not like this. He doesn’t want Vector to peel back the ugly wounds that Ray sought to hide from them all. Yuuma doesn’t want anything like this, and he’s  _ scared.  _ He’s more scared than he’s ever been before. His heart hammers in his chest. Please, oh please, make it stop.

“Hm, Yuuma-kun? Cat got your tongue?”

The bell rings and class is dismissed for lunch. As much as Yuuma supposes his classmates would like to get in on the gossip, they have food to eat and meetings to attend to. The class moves around them. Neither Yuuma nor Vector back down. After a moment, Vector moves: he folds one leg atop the other, sitting primly atop his teacher’s desk until he’s shooed away with, “Off. We won’t be talking about this tomorrow, but thank you for … sharing.”

Vector bows forward, pretending to tip a hat that wouldn’t fit on his pointy head. “My pleasure.”

The moment the teacher’s foot steps out of the classroom, Yuuma slingshots forward. He grabs hold of Vector’s lapels, but doesn’t lift him up. No, Yuuma can’t bring himself to be angry when it was meant to come out, but why did Vector have to spoil it? Yuuma’s  _ hurt.  _ His chest aches and his face hurts from the terrible, frowning faces he makes. Tears drip from Yuuma’s eyes and gather on his round cheeks and red nose.

“You’re making a mess of yourself,” Vector tells him, still sporting a giddy smirk.

Yuuma shakes his head to spray tears on Vector’s face. “I didn’t want to tell everyone like  _ that.” _

“How did you plan on telling them then?” Vector says. “You came blabbering in one morning saying that Entertainment dueling is dangerous and you’re worried about the new technology. If word gets around, maybe the mayor’ll do something go for once and call of the deal. I thought this is what you  _ wanted,  _ Yuuma-kun. Did you want the world to know the truth?”

Vector brushes his cheek down on Yuuma’s hands. Meanwhile, his fingers toy with the buttons on Yuuma’s shirt. “You just want to be everyone’s friend, don’t you, Yuuma-kun?”

Yuuma sniffs back the snot that’s running down his face. “I d-do.”

“And that’s impossible, isn’t it? You can’t please everyone.”

Yuuma sobs, a long whine that he stifles with a hand. With only one arm holding him back, Vector rips himself free and take two large steps back. 

“Well then stop trying!” he shouts, voice filled with rage. His personality does a 180-flip. His hands bundle together, red eyebrows knotting across his freckled forehead. “Stop trying to please everyone because you’re going to hurt someone, maybe even yourself! Fuck, Yuuma, you’re too kind-hearted!”

“Well! Well!” Yuuma can’t say more. He can’t think of anything else that he can throw back at Vector, King of Petty Arguments. Yuuma’s throat closes up and his legs shake. Kotori is next to him – he can feel her gentle presence – but she doesn’t lead him away. She stands, resolute, until Yuuma starts to cave in.

“Back off, Vector,” she snaps. “That wasn’t anything you needed to share.”

Her words are cotton bullets on Vector’s thick skin. “It was going to come out sooner or later.”

“Not from you!”

“Well do you think Yuuma is the prime candidate for sharing weird, dimensional havoc? Pretty sure I was  _ responsible  _ for something like that back here in Heartland.” Throwing his hands up in the air, Vector says, “Really, Yuuma, you need to stop being friends with everyone. This isn’t a place where we can all be friends and ignore the real-world problems: we’re in fucking reality, it sucks, and we keep living. If you ignore what happened and play besties with someone, it’s going to hurt. Let’s hope you don’t break poor Yuuya-chan’s heart.”

Kotori snaps something back at Vector, something that sounds distinctly like “Bastard” and that Yuuma has never heard come from her mouth. He does hear Vector’s laugh though, chilling and echoey as he exits the classroom and heads down the hallway. 

For the longest time Yuuma stands, head bowed and shoulders quivering. There are still tears in his eyes and snot running down his face, but Yuuma doesn’t even have the strength to lift his head and clean himself. Vector’s words always hurt: he knows where to stab the knife and where to dig it in, and his verbal assaults rend Yuuma deeper than any cut he’s even had. The worst part is that Yuuma, despite knowing it’s true, still thinks he can disprove the theory. He can be friends with everyone, start anew and pretend this conversation – this  _ fight  _ – never happened. 

It seems far too easy.

“Yuuma,” Kotori whispers, “let’s go get clean and then we can have lunch.”

Yuuma shakes his head, only to be met by Kotori’s hand on his cheek.

“If you do that, you will spray snot everywhere. You don’t need to eat lunch, but you  _ will  _ clean yourself up before class.” Her hand slides down to grasp at his fingers; the weight of her hand is steady and calming, even if her grip is a bit tight. “Go wash yourself up and come back to class. We’ll eat here.”

Wordlessly, Yuuma nods and heads out the door. His ears burn when several pairs of eyes look at him. When he gets to the bathroom, Yuuma doesn’t bother to look at himself in the mirror. It looks terrible, probably. He wipes down his face and splashes himself with cold water to cool off the burning around his cheeks and ears. It doesn’t feel better, but Yuuma hopes it’ll take away any redness.

It doesn’t. When Yuuma looks up to see his reflection, he looks old and gaunt. Yuuma thinks he might be as old as his sister now.

He stumbles out of the bathroom only a bit cleaner than before and heads back to his desk. Kotori has already taken the liberty of getting out his bento box and setting it up neatly before her own. She smiles when he gets there, almost too cheery and fake.

“I’m not hungry …”

“Give it time,” she chides. “You  _ always  _ eat lunch.”

Sighing, Yuuma slumps into his seat. Akari has made him rice balls and hot dogs and she’s put fresh fruit in too. It all looks so delicious that Yuuma drags his eyes up to meet Kotori’s compassionate face. “Kotori, I don’t know~”

“Don’t know what?” she counters.

Yuuma slumps even more, chin resting on the table. He eyes up the food again – maybe just one or two bites, even if his stomach is doing somersaults that are as painful as the image in his tired brain. “I don’t know what I don’t know. Just … ugh.” Yuuma grabs two grapes and shoves them in his mouth. “Vector’s right and it sucks.”

“I wouldn’t say he’s right –”

“He is,” Yuuma snaps. “Vector’s always right and it’s not fair. People like you when you agree with them, and I want to make friends. What’s wrong with that? Why did he have to go and blab to everyone about Maiami? Now it’s going to hit the news stations, and maybe even reach the other dimensional cities. It’ll cause a catastrophe.”

Kotori shakes her head. “No, it won’t. Vector does not have that much influence no matter how hot-headed and ‘superior’ he may think he is. No one’s going to believe him, no cities will know of this, and no catastrophes will happen. You are being overdramatic, Yuuma.”

It hurts to hear those words, but Yuuma doesn’t think they’re true quite yet. 

“He’ll tell Chris and Kaito, maybe, and then I’ll be in trouble.”

Kotori pauses mid-bite. “Are you spying for them?”

Yuuma chokes, eyes growing to the size of the rice balls in his lunch. “No! No, why would you think of that?”

“You’ve really gotten yourself in trouble again,” she says. Setting down her chopsticks, Kotori says. “I wouldn’t let Vector’s words get to you. I wouldn’t let Chris and Kaito push you around for their experiments on dimensional magic. Yuuma, what you really need to do is listen to what  _ you  _ want. The Yuuma I know cares just as much about his own opinion as others’; he’s no pushover.”

His ears start to grow hot and red. “Well yeah …”

Kotori’s gaze hits him across the face, eyes flashing. “Then stop worrying about what everyone wants and start thinking about yourself. Go have fun with Yuuya and Yuzu, go be an Entertainment duelist. It’s what you want to do, and you’ve got Akari’s permission already. Please don’t let what Vector said get to you. No one will believe him, and if they do I’m sure LDS has dealt with bad publicity before.”

A hard knot nestles in this throat that makes Yuuma’s voice thick: “Sure.”

She smiles. “Now keep eating – I bet you’re hungry.”

Yuuma forces himself to laugh. He’ll smile for her. “I’m always hungry.”


	24. Through Time and History - The Field Trip to Academia!

Kotori was right: Vector’s gossip doesn’t travel far, only to the other Barians who have all heard him throw his insane theories out over dinner, and to all of Yuuma’s classmates who now look forward to history class. Yuuma tells Yuuya about it at once – no more secrets – and it doesn’t bother Yuuya; after all, Vector found the information out on his own.

It settles Yuuma’s stomach for the time being. He makes it through the week, somehow better than Yuuya, and come Monday the permission forms are handed in. Yuuya looks like death run over when he comes into class that day, bags under his eyes and a noticeable shake in his step. If Yuzu knows anything about it, and Yuuma knows she must, then she doesn’t say anything around the other classmates. They go about their dueling day as if nothing happened.

On the walks home, Yuuya doesn’t say much, trying and failing to smile. Yuuma tries to share the moment with him: “Hey, Yuuya! If something’s wrong, you can tell me and I’ll help with whatever I can. I can’t make miracles, but I have a bit of magic in me.”

Yuuya doesn’t say anything. He waits with him at the train station every day, eyes cloudy and watching the distant stars. When the train arrives, Yuuma hugs and kisses Yuuya quickly before dashing inside. “I’ll text you tonight!”

Tearily, Yuuya waves goodbye.

On the day of the field trip, a crisp, Saturday morning, Yuuma slams down his cards on the sidewalk and calls out, “I’ve mastered Synchro Summoning!”

Sitting down on the pavement with him, Yuzu chuckles. “We’ve been learning this for two weeks, Yuuma, and only now you can claim you understand it? I’m glad to know you’ve improved since then.” She begins packing up her cards and placing them in her deck box on her hip. While they waited for the other students to show up, Yuuma insisted that they duel together. Yuzu couldn’t back down from the challenge.

“Well,” Yuuma says, “Maiami duelists are probably wired to know how to multi-summon, but Heartland citizens are only Xyz duelists. I’m the first of my kind.”

“Don’t Heartland duelists know every Summoning method? You’d need it in the circuits.”

“Maybe.” Crossing his arms, Yuuma looks up at Haruto. With permission from Coach Shuuzou, he’d been allowed to take Haruto along. Kaito didn’t agree at first, claiming that something terrible would happen to Haruto and it would be no one’s fault but Kaito’s for letting him go in the first place. However, Yumma insisted that Haruto come along for the trip. It would a fun train ride, and they’d get to see so much!

Bouncing on his heels, Haruto waits on the sidewalk for the rest of the students to show up. “I wish Reira-kun would come along too!”

Yuuma wishes so too. Maybe then he’d be able to understand why Yuuya comes to class lackluster and defeated, why Yuuma’s dueling performances are lackluster at best. Perhaps Reira would know; or, even better, both Reira and Reiji would come on the trip. However, this visit is for You Show students only.

Which reminds him …

“Will we see Sora?”

Yuzu nods. “I got a hold of him last night and told him we’d all be coming over for the day. He’ll meet us at the train station.” Clutching her phone to her chest, she adds, “It’s been so long since he’s come over. Sometimes I wonder if he’ll ever come back, but he always visits us.”

Frowning, Yuuma asks, “So he won’t be in duel classes anymore?”

“Sora is an … exception. It’s hard for him to get back into dueling after everything that’s happened, and while I’m sure it would be best if he stayed far away from Academia, he still clings onto those memories. There’s not much any of us can do except offer support when necessary.”

Sora’s fake smiles are clear in Yuuma’s mind. He wonders what Sora might be like outside of the classroom and in his hometown – will Sora be equally carefree, or more guarded? What will it be like for Sora to walk through the base where he was kept prisoner? Yuuma remembers visiting Academia with Yuuya and hearing about what happened to the children there. He and Yuuya had walked through the cells.

“Well,” Yuuma says, “we’ll see him when we see him, right?”

“Right!”

With the last of the students milling in, Coach begins taking attendance. When they are all together, they review the day schedule: one interdimensional train and one local train. They leave once everyone has gathered their backpacks and hauled themselves to their feet. Yuuma’s been to the Maiami Central train station enough times that he could walk there with his eyes closed. The train they’ll be taking is in the same interdimensional part of the station, only two rows back and with far fewer people travelling on it.

When Yuuma and Yuuya visited Academia, they’d travelled from Synchro by motorcycle, skipping the lines entirely. The train that rolls into the station, therefore, is a new sight to Yuuma: it’s newer and shinier, made of some durable, bendable material that gives a sleek, aerodynamic finish to it. There’s no bright colours or popping styles anywhere on the train. In fact, it all looks a bit sterile and bland.

Despite there only being a few other passengers on the train, it’s still crowded with the students in it; Yuuma misses his chance to get a seat and instead holds onto the railings. Next to him, Haruto braces himself against Yuuma. The train shoots forward moments after. Through the window Yuuma sees the station become a grey blur. They enter a tunnel first, though there are hundreds of painful white lights illuminating narrow paths on which train workers must use. 

Then the tunnel opens up to the blue ocean. Yuuma pushes past a classmate so he can get the best view of Academia. To his surprise, it’s green: there are forests and valleys everywhere, following the gentle, rolling hills of the Fusion Dimension. There are also mountains shooting up from the forests; more tall evergreens sprout from there and graze the skies. Already Yuuma can see the speck of an island on the horizon.

“That’s Academia, isn’t it?” he says, tugging on Yuuya’s shirt sleeve to get his attention.

Looking up from the ground, Yuuya follows Yuuma’s finger. “Yeah, that’s the duel school.”

Excitedly, Yuuma leans between two students to press his face to the glass. “It’s so big even from so far away!”

“You’ve been?” Haruto asks. 

“Of course!”

Haruto frowns. “When?”

“Yuuya took me a few months ago. I’ll be able to show you around now!”

The train travels between two mountains, opening up a valley to a nestled city. Academia is all white stones and bridges above canals. As they become closer, the forest floor gives way to the water and the train dips down to coast along the waterline. The duel school becomes more visible, a towering monument across the pond. From the corner of his eye, Yuuma catches Yuuya and Yuzu shiver.

From this distance, Yuuma can now see that the only futuristic thing in Academia is the train station: it sticks out like a sore, silver thumb among the demure housing. Yuuma wonders if this train station ever existed in the original Academia, or if this train came with the rewrite. It doesn’t look like it belongs in such a place.

When the train slows to a stop, they grab their belongings and head out. Academia’s station looks like the inside of the train car with the same metal panelings and sterile surroundings. There isn’t much for Yuuma to admire besides his own reflection as they head down the steps to the city. A hand slips into his; Yuuma thinks it’s Haruto’s, but it’s Yuuya who holds him close. 

Yuuma’s first sight of Academia is the blinding sun that causes him to flinch and cover his eyes. With shielded eyes Yuuma spots the familiar canals and pathways that make up the maze of Academia. The next sights Yuuma sees are blue: the canal, the ocean, the –

“Hey!” Startled, Yuuma takes a step back. Sora Shiunin matches it, then takes more and more steps until he’s in everyone’s personal space with a glittering smile. “You came!”

For the first time that day, Yuuya’s eyes soften. He claps Sora on the shoulder and hugs him tight. “We came! Good to see you.”

Sora hugs Yuzu next – “Thanks for coming, student!” – and then Yuuma too, who doesn’t expect the hands that wrap around his neck. When Sora breaks away, he glances around at the remaining classmates, eyes settling on Haruto.

“A student who’s shorter than me?”

Haruto smiles. “Tenjou Haruto from Heartland!”

Sora flinches, then covers it up by eyeing Yuuma. “He’s from your city?”

“He’s my friend’s brother … and he’s also a friend!” 

Coach, who had previously been checking the map for directions, now looks up at Sora. “You ready to go, kiddo? Show us the way.”

Sora salutes them all. “Roger! Let’s go!”

They walk single-file down a narrow road. The ocean is in sight, half of Academia’s duel school visible through the whitewashed buildings. The ethereal, heavenly feel of the city contrasts the school: it’s dark, grey, and even more foreboding now that Yuuma knows  _ exactly  _ what happened there. He takes Yuuya’s hand once more as they follow the bridge over the water.

“Will there be classes today?” Haruto asks.

Sora shakes his head. “Academia duelists only go four days a week instead of six, though they’re longer classes.”

Yuuma thinks he could handle that. More time in duel class, less time in regular classes. At least he hopes that’s how it is.

Peeking over the bridge, Yuuma expects to see crystal blue waters and hundreds of fish swimming just below the surface. However, the ocean is a vast, dark chasm that makes Yuuma’s blood run cold. The more he looks the harder the water churns. 

When they pass through the tunnel, Sora shows them up a path that any car or bike would have missed driving by. They walk several flights of stairs up to a lobby-like area, a place that Yuuma doesn’t remember ever visiting with Yuuya. This, he realises, is the main area of the duel school. Like Sora said, there are no students around today. This area of the castle appears to have been refurbished: there are tapestries and paintings and sculptures taking up the empty space of the castle. Most of the students seem taken-aback by their surroundings; Sora only looks uncomfortable.

They don’t need any badges or passes to enter the main areas of the duel school, so Sora takes them up a flight of stairs towards the first floor of classrooms. There are pictures along the walls of graduating classes; for such an old building, there are only a few years worth of photographs.

“Is this a new duel school?” Haruto asks.

“Yeah,” Sora says. “Academia was a bit behind on teaching students how to duel.”

Sensing the grim mood, Yuuma adds, “Well, Heartland only has one pro-level duel school, so I guess we’re behind too.” 

Sora’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes, peeling back his pale cheeks. 

The first floor is as Sora said: classrooms spanning both sides of the hallway. The pathway loops back to the lobby; Yuuma jokes that he’ll never get lost here if every path leads back to the main room.

Coach takes on the challenge: “You’re free to explore then. As Yuuma said, you won’t get lost.”

“Wha – Coach, I was joking!”

Haruto jumps at the idea. “Yuuma, you said you’ve been here before! Why don’t you show me around?”

Yuuma looks from Haruto’s smiling face to Yuuya, Yuzu, and Sora’s solemn expressions. Yuuma isn’t sure where to go that  _ won’t  _ bring back dark memories for anyone, but at the same time there is a bubbling curiosity within him to go back and find the room with the bracelets and dragons. It was the same room that Yuuya had been so afraid of, but now Yuuma thinks they can brave it.

Mind settled, Yuuma says, “Follow me!” and leads them down the first hallway in sight. He isn’t sure what he should be looking for, but no one bothers to give him proper directions until Yuzu, having enough of their aimless wandering says, “Are you looking for something, Yuuma?”

“The room with the dragons,” Yuuma says. “Yuuya and I found it before …”

Yuuya speaks up: “That room is off-limits, Yuuma.”

“That’s only if you get caught. We’ll be fine as long as we don’t get lost or break anything. The same rules apply to anywhere.” At Yuuya’s frown, Yuuma asks, “Please, Yuuya. I want to see the dragons one more time.”

Yuzu and Sora look to Yuuya. “Dragons? You mean the Arc-V?”

Yuuma looks to both of them. “You’ve been there too?”

“Well –”

“You see –”

Yuuma huffs. “How come you all know about it and I don’t?”

“We were … there. Yuuma, that really isn’t a good place to be.”

It doesn’t deter Yuuma. “That’s fine. I just want to check something out really quickly, but I don’t know the way. If you do, you can show it to me.”

“It’s off-limits, Yuuma –”

“Please, Yuzu! It’ll be quick.”

_ Stomp.  _ “Fine. One quick look.”

Yuzu knows the exact way to it. Her eyes have taken on a guarded veil that hides the fire burning behind them. She slips through corridors that Yuuma realises takes them out of the main loops – paths that don’t have classrooms and force them to hike up more flights of stairs. Yuuma tries to keep track of where they might be within the castle, but the hallways are a maze of similar walls. Quickly Yuuma becomes glad that he didn’t make this trip without the others.

Halfway through the trip, Yuuma sees something familiar: a rope blocking off the pathways. Yuuma remembers ducking beneath it to go with Yuuya.

“Are you sure we’re allowed here?” Haruto asks. 

“‘Course we are,” Yuuma says. “This is a school.”

“We’re  _ not,”  _ Yuzu says, “but we’re checking it out anyways. I don’t want to go into that room though, so I’ll stay out.”

“Me too,” Sora whispers.

Yuuma looks to Yuuya. “Will you come in with me?”

Yuuya nods.

After passing through several more hallway, their path opens up to one grand corridor. There is a tall, oak door on the opposing end with handles the size of baseballs. It takes both hands to open the door, and he needs Haruto and Yuuya to help him pull it open. 

The room looks far more ominous today. The pillars are shadowed and chipped, the room dark save for the fake torches that light up a path to the balcony. Yuuma takes a step into the room and feels a chill run up his leg. A small part of his mind says,  _ Run back, run away,  _ but a much larger part of his mind tells him to take another step and another, until he’s halfway into the room and looking back at Sora and Yuzu. 

“What is this place?” Haruto asks.

“A … research facility,” Yuuma says. “Right, Yuuya?”

Yuuya doesn’t move. His breaths are near-silent, red eyes glowing from the unnatural lights around them. Yuuma thinks to put his hand in Yuuya’s, maybe even draw him close for a moment. However, at that moment Yuuma catches sight of the gems embedded into the ceiling above, and instead he rushes towards it. The dragons are still there, engraved into the ceiling like ancient runes. The bracelets are nearby, equally massive and breathtaking.

Haruto stands over them with Yuuma. He looks up at the dragons, eyes glimmering like galaxies. “Big brother says dragons created the world.”

Yuuma nods. “There’s some of them.”

A breeze rushes by Yuuma, rustling his hair. He looks up, confused. There are no windows in this area of the castle …

The balcony.

Stepping away from the ceiling carvings, Yuuma heads towards the chasm. The last time he and Yuuya visited, the area was blacker than black, an empty space where something once lay. Now Yuuma can spot twinkling lights at the bottom, like someone dripped glitter into a bucket of water. In fact, Yuuma wonders if that might be water down there.

“Hey Yuuya,” Yuuma calls, “come check this out. There’s water down here.”

“What?” Yuuya’s voice sounds distant.

Yuuma leans closer. “There’s water, I think. What did you say was down here again?”

“There’s nothing down there,” Yuuya says. “It’s just a big hole.”

Yuuma shakes his head. There’s gotta be something down there, either water or a pocket dimension or  _ something.  _ If Yuuma listens closely enough, he can hear voices, whispers to his ears that strain to make out what they’re saying. They don’t get closer the more he leans down, but Yuuma still stretches over the bar.

“Yuuma, what are you doing?” Yuuya says. 

From around his neck the Key glows. Yuuma feels magic like being in Zexal, and he draws himself closer, stepping up on the rungs of the balcony. He can hear Yuuya telling him this is stupid, this is a bad idea, but there are many, many more voices that speak over him. Yuuma hears Yuugo and Yuuto and Yuuri and Zarc, a chorus on like-Yuuya voices muffling the real-Yuuya. There are other voices too, monster voices and singing voices that drown out the white noise that fills Yuuma’s ears. 

The light of the Key grows brighter. Yuuma swings both legs over the balcony, staring into the deep chasm. If he squints his eyes, he can see green light ahead of him, so different from the blue light of the Astral World and the red plasma of the Barian World. Yuuma wonders what exists beyond the dimensions, and if he’ll find it if he takes the leap.

Would Yuuya follow him if he jumped?

A trapeze appears in his line of vision, swinging out to meet him.

Yuuma takes it with both hands and jumps into the chasm. 

He thinks he’s passed out for a moment, but after he feels the wind on his face and the scream bubbling up his throat, Yuuma realises that he’s just shut his eyes. He wrenches them open to see stars everywhere like he’s fallen into the Milky Way. He keeps falling more and more, body glowing red that keeps him breathing and awake. 

Around him Yuuma hears the voices, now clear and sharp in his ears. He doesn’t see anyone though; he even tries to crane his head around to spot Yuuya and Haruto up above, but the force of his fall keeps his gaze below him.

And then he stops falling. One minute Yuuma remembers seeing stars, and then next minute he’s surprised he’s  _ not  _ seeing stars from falling smack onto the hard, stone floor. His neck hurts when he tries to lift in and every bone in his body protests from moving sideways. A groan escapes his lips. Just what  _ happened? _

_ Smack.  _ The entire weight of another person crashes down next to him, red and green and orange blurring together as Yuuma crumbles next to him. Yuuma’s eyes widen; he drags himself up so that his mouth isn’t pressed to the ground, and he says, “Hey, you fell too!”

_ Smack.  _ There are a series of crashes this time as more bodies hit the floor. Yuuma looks around to see Yuzu and Haruto lying there too, looking rather disoriented and confused. They too lift their heads, eyes widening.

_ “This  _ is where we landed?” Haruto says.

Yuzu’s eyes narrow. “Where even is this?”

“It’s … Yuuma, where is this?”

Yuuma isn’t sure. The stones beneath him and the galaxies above him offer no clues. On achey legs he stands, taking in more of the area. The room is larger than he imagined, dressed in royal, purple tapestries and tall, glowing braziers. 

It’s then Yuzu’s eyes widen. “I know this place … this is Academia, back when it was a military school.” She looks around, eyes falling on everyone. “Why did it take us here? This doesn’t  _ exist.” _

“We’re in Academia,” she says, voice echoing down the long corridor. Yuuma can see the great, wooden door up ahead. Looking the other way, Yuuma sees something taking up space in the chasm: a large, green tower, its base circling around a pointed tip. There are smaller platforms around it, not glowing as bright but emitting a gentle glow.

“That’s the Arc-V,” Yuuma says, pointing at the machine. “Isn’t it?”

The others follow his gaze to the machine. Yuzu shivers. She rises to her feet, leaning down to help Haruto up. Yuuma follows suit; when he takes Yuuya’s hands, he notices how clammy it feels. Yuuya’s eyes still grow bright, appearing luminescent in the dim room. He takes Yuuma’s hand and rises, bracing himself against Yuuma’s side to stay upright.

“I didn’t think we’d end up  _ here,”  _ Yuuma says. He looks up: the ceiling is a sea of stars. “How do you suppose we get back?”

“Elevator,” Yuuma says at once.

“Where’s one of those?” Yuzu asks. 

“I don’t know,” Yuuma admits, “but if we fell through a hole to get here, we need something to shoot us back up to the Academia we want.”

Yuzu and Haruto look up at the ceiling. It’s impossible to see where they even  _ fell  _ from, much less how they’d climb back up through space to get home. Looking around, Yuuma wonders how everyone else made it here. For Yuuma, he’d supposed it was because of being in Zexal; he had, after all, had the Zexal aura around him. 

“Yuuya, how’d you get down here?”

The glow around his eyes settles for a moment. Brows pinched together, he says, “I jumped after you – you really shouldn’t have done that. And then … and then I kept falling.”

“And you didn’t lose consciousness or anything?” Yuuma asks.

“I remember it too!” Haruto says. “There were galaxies everywhere. Do … do you think we fell into the Astral World?”

The Astral World wouldn’t create such a place; Yuuma’s been there before to know the aesthetic, and after all this place looks much more like a dimension that Yuuya and Yuzu have been in. Yuuma wonders how exactly he could fall into a different dimension, one that he’s never been in before. He had jumped off the balcony to get here – what was at the bottom in that deep chasm? Looking over his shoulder, Yuuma’s eyes catch on the sickly, green glow of the Arc-V machine. Did that thing help them get there?

Yuuma hurries to the edge of the balcony and peers down into the abyss. Just like back in his own timeline, there was a deep hole in the ground. He wonders what would happen if he jumped through that hole too – would he pop out in his timeline, or in yet another one?

Yuuma hikes a foot up on the bannister. 

“Yuuma, stop!” Yuuya’s hands tug him back down before he can get his other leg up. He hadn’t planned on jumping in the first place, and least not without knowing that his friends would stick with him, but  at Yuuya’s urgent tone Yuuma wonders if perhaps they thought they’d lose him again. He sighs as Yuuya pulls  him away from the balcony, eyes wide and fearful. “You can’t  just jump recklessly – you can’t!”

Yuuma doesn’t let Yuuya get away easily. “What  _ do  _ we do then? We’re here – what even is here?”

Yuzu points at the Arc-V machine. “We’re here before the rewrite.”

“And –” It dawns on Yuuma in that moment. His dimpled cheeks stretch with a wide smile. “Yuuya, your counterparts! We can meet them!”

It’s a thought that Yuuma is sure came to Yuuya’s mind first, but the words still leave him shocked and mute. His mouth moves like a broken trap, unable to produce more than jittery mumbles. His eyes aren’t glowing anymore, but  the haunted expression becomes more pronounced: the bags under his eyes seem to swallow the last of his hope, his light.

“No.”

“It could be worse!” Yuuma says. It seems like the only appropriate time to say it.

Yuzu disagrees; her words cut through his forced cheeriness. “Not really. This isn’t where we want to be.”

Yuuya, however, frowns. “If we’re here though, then where are the guards?”

The question doesn’t shock them into flight mode; instead, they all look around together, hoping to spot anyone else in the vast room. The shadows are missing, opening up every nook and cranny to them. Yuuma can’t even  _ hear  _ anyone moving around. For a military school, he’d expected to see or hear quite a few more people.

However, it doesn’t disturb Yuuma. “We’ll just go looking for them then,” he says with a laugh. 

“That’s stupid,” Yuzu tells him bluntly. “What we need to do is find out how to get back home. If we jump into another more portals to different dimensions or timelines, we’re going to get lost. If there are no people around, we’ll go looking for help – there’s a Resistance base I once visited when I was here.”

It’s more than anything else can think of, and so Yuzu leads the way. Yuuma sneaks a chance to wrap his hand in Yuuya’s, thankful for the warmth. He wants to ask Yuuya so much about what’s going on with him and why they’re here, but the words don’t want to escape his throat. He holds himself back – a concept Yuuma never thought he was capable of – only because  _ Yuuya  _ doesn’t look ready to talk. He keeps squeezing his hands into fists or shaking his head. When his eyes glaze over, he appears lost in thought until Yuuma shakes him back to reality.

The walk out of Academia is, to their surprise, easier than they thought. After sneaking around a few corners and worrying about their footfalls, Yuuma loudly proclaims that there are  no guards anywhere in this castle. It’s a shock to the other members who, at first, duck their heads expecting an ambush; however, once none appear Yuuma leads the way through the castle. He follows Yuzu’s directions, unable to distinguish one blue wall from the next.

Academia looks different back then, and not how Yuuma had expected it to look. When Yuuya told him it was a military institution for child soldiers, Yuuma expected a nightmarish place with dripping, stone walls and a sombre atmosphere. This place looks nothing like the image Yuuma conjured. The walls are soft whites and blues, shadowed only by the tall pillars extending to the vast ceiling. There are windows everywhere. Even the places Yuuma hadn’t expected to be decorated, such as the soldiers’ rooms, are … nice. They aren’t homely, but they aren’t anything like the prison cells Yuuma imagined.

Yet despite how homey and warm Academia seems, Yuuma doesn’t fail to notice what the environment does to the others. Yuuya and Yuzu’s shoulders are tense, eyes darting from one corner to the next. 

Haruto is unfazed. Out of the castle, he points to the blue skies and clouds, and to the distant blur of the world beyond them. When Yuuma steps through the doors, he sees the sides of the world melting away like candle wax. It’s beautiful only if he doesn’t think about how the world is slipping away, set on a time limit that Yuuma can’t even gauge.

“Did this ever happen?” Yuuma asks.

Yuuya nods. “It’s coming together again.”

Yuzu, however, has the same shocked expression as them, eyes growing wide and wet. Yuuma catches her blinking rapidly, perhaps trying to erase the beautiful yet terrible view before her. In the distance Yuuma can now see Heartland Tower, one of the last remaining buildings of Heartland City. Across the way bridges collapse, cars and motorcycles tumbling into a great maelstrom. The Fusion Dimension has always disappeared in sections: Academia seems like the one remaining battalion.

Yuuma whistles through his teeth. “So we just … need to get out of here.”

The great cry of a dragon drowns Yuuya’s last words. He stiffens at the roars grow louder, not only in strength but in numbers. Yuuma hears them too, and he looks around to see that all of them are frozen stiff before the mighty sounds. No dragons appear in sight, but Yuuya’s Extra Deck glows. He hurriedly pulls out the cards, fingers slipping over their glossy, pulsing surfaces. Yuuma has seen his cards do something similar, but to  _ hear  _ the dragons calling out to him is a new feeling in his chest.

_ Become one,  _ the dragons say.

Yuuya swallows.

Yuuma straightens his head. The sounds make his heart leap in his chest and his blood bubble in his veins. Maybe it’s the anxiety gnawing at his gut that he just doesn’t understand. Whatever it is, Yuuma takes it with a cheer of  _ “kattobingu!” _ He grabs Yuuya’s hand, quelling the shaking, and holds the cards aloft.

“Come and get us!” Yuuma screams to the void.

Yuuya pulls his arm down at once, pupils growing so wide that it looks like Yuuma’s looking into another void, this one much deeper and darker. “What –” is all Yuuya can say before Yuuma reaches for his own cards, throwing up his hand. 

“Appear, Gagaga Magician!”

He doesn’t know if it will work. When he was in Sargasso, a pocket dimension existing between the Astral and Barian Worlds, Yuuma remembers Summoning his monsters without having to worry about AR Vision. Now, Yuuma thinks that this world might support the same thing. The card in his hand shivers in the wind before growing bright. Descending from the clouds is his monster, dressed in royal blue robes lined with flame-like markings similar to the pants Yuuma once wore. Even through his cowl, Yuuma imagines his monster is smiling with him.

He sneaks a peek over his shoulder. “We’ll send Gagaga Magician out to look for someone while we go looking for the dragons.”

Haruto turns to him. “We’re  _ looking  _ for them?”

Yuuma keeps his eyes on Yuuya as he answers: “Someone has to be controlling those dragons, just like I’m controlling my monster, and I hope it’s Yuuya’s counterparts. If we find them, maybe they’ll help us out.”

The look he receives from Yuuya is as if he’s eaten something spicy and not realised it: mouth hanging open, eyes watering, and skin sheet-white. “You … you’re just going to go after them?” His eyebrows set, pushing low over eyes that have become bubbling lava. “Yuuma, no. No. You can’t throw yourself at this and think that it’ll work out. If we’re in Academia, there are  _ several  _ people we do not want to meet, and my counterparts are some of them –”

“But I’ve met them before!”

“You shouldn’t have,” Yuuya hisses, voice low. 

The way Yuuya’s voice slips off his tongue betrays the quivering of his lips and the tenseness of his body. Yuuma wishes more than anything that he could ease Yuuya’s unease, make him feel a bit safer and securer in this place. Looking down at the disappearing dimensions, Yuuma wonders just how they’ll find everyone. He too can hear their voices, anxious whispers or disgruntled snaps that don’t quite form words. Maybe there are more voices that Yuuya can hear, a symphony of pained cries calling out to him from within the void.

The dragon cards glow in his hands.

“We should go find Yuugo first,” Yuzu says. “If you’re looking for your counterparts, Synchro is right there. You can hear him, can’t you?”

Yuuya nods. Of all the counterparts, Yuugo has the most distinctive voice: he’s loud and brash, making quite the ruckus across the pond. If Shark or Kaito were around, they’d tell Yuuma he was too much like Yuugo. Thankfully, both of them are away, and Yuuma can focus on following the sounds of the voice ahead of him. 

He tries to remember what Yuugo is like. In Zexal formation, when Yuuma met Yuuya’s three other counterparts, Yuugo had been wearing a blue and white racing suit, his helmet tucked under his arm. With City’s bridges falling to the maelstrom, Yuuma wonders if he’ll get to see Yuugo and his bike. He supposes Yuugo will be trying to avoid getting sucked away.

Despite the dimensions breaking apart, the path into the City is clear. They don’t see a single person on the cracked streets of Academia; Yuzu even pokes her head inside a house. If they found anyone else it might solve the mystery on Yuuma’s mind: what are they doing here, in the alternate timeline where the dimensions became one in a violent fusion. 

At the edge of Academia, they stop and peer out at City. There is no bridge connecting the cities, though if there were Yuuma realises it would’ve been sucked away by the strong winds pulling all of Academia closer to the centre of the universe. Now that they are closer to the vortex, it’s possible to see that anything sucked into it is  _ disappearing  _ like thin air. Like a black hole, anything sucked into the centre is never seen coming out elsewhere. Nonetheless, the vortex is a miasma of kaleidoscopic colours, twirling like a parachute in the centre of the dimensions. 

“This happened last time?” Yuuma asks Yuuya. He links hands with him when Yuuya shivers in the wind. There are goosebumps up and down his arms; the way the light keeps catching in his eyes worries Yuuma. He’s seen that glow before – a feral, primal look that happened when they first tried to form Zexal. 

Giving one last shake, Yuuya throws up his hand. “Come forth, Odd-Eyes!” The dragon descends from the heavens, calling out to its brothers circling the skies. Excitement bubbles in Yuuma’s chest – will the other dragons come and see them? However, the other dimensional dragons do not take to the skies and chase after Odd-Eyes, who settles on the ground so that they can climb up its legs and onto its back. Yuuma remembers being on Yuuya and connected to the dragon: he can feel the dragon’s breath pushing against his legs, rough scales cold on his skin. Yuuma reaches down to give Haruto and Yuzu a hand up; he suspects neither of them have ever been on a dragon before.

Once they are all arranged on the dragon, Yuuya, leading from the front, pulls up on Odd-Eyes horns. Rather than sitting with the rest of them, Yuuya stands, bracing himself on Odd-Eyes like he has in duels. Yuuma wants to be up there with him, standing next to or beside Yuuya, just so he can see the same sights as Yuuya. More than anything, Yuuma wants to become a part of Yuuya too. 

It’s a wish Yuuma holds tight to as they fly towards City, its crumbling highways and tumbling buildings a grim reminder of the reason why Ray rewrote time.


	25. Into the Dimensions! Find the Yuu Counterparts!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my girlfriend came out to visit me last week and so i dropped the ball on updates - sorry about that! >///< bi-weekly chapter postings will recommence since i need to have this fic completed soon. thank you for being so patient!! <3

Yuuma expects a gentle flight into the City. Sure, the buildings are falling, the dimensions are tearing apart, and the apocalypse is on the horizon, but Yuuma still expects a gentle flight. He expects a ride similar to when he and Yuuya travelled to City on the motorbike, wind in their hair and a bubbling energy in their chest. Yuuma expects this ride will be even  _ better  _ because he’s riding atop a dragon.

Yuuma is wrong.

Odd-Eyes dives out of the way of a piece of falling highway that is then sucked into the vortex. The dragon’s wings are strong enough to keep them out of the vortex, but the flight isn’t easy. Yuuya guides Odd-Eyes around crumbling pieces of the road that is breaking away from the main city. Despite the cities being separate, it isn’t until Yuuma is flying  _ below  _ one that he realises all these dimensional places are islands floating in a galaxy. 

Unfortunately, there isn’t much to see when each of Odd-Eyes’ turns spins Yuuma’s head and throws him around. The strength of the dragon is enough to give any of them whiplash. Early on, he and Yuzu position themselves so that Haruto is the most sheltered from the effects.

_ If Kaito were around,  _ thinks Yuuma, and he can’t finish the sentence without grimacing.

At the front of the dragon, Yuuya stands oblivious to them all. He looks scared, teeth biting into the soft flesh of his lip, and his red eyes are pinched tight. He looks older than he should be, as if trips to this dimension have the power to age someone up. He holds tight to the horns atop Odd-Eyes’ head, steering the dragon past falling debris and large, hanging pieces of highway that have yet to break off of City. At the first clearing Yuuma sees, Yuuya sees it too: he pulls Odd-Eyes up and they travel straight up towards the sky. The take-off gets them up past the worst of the danger; high in the sky, Odd-Eyes circles the clouds.

From this height, Yuuma can see just what damage has been done to the dimensions. He looks down at a floating city slowly moving towards the Vortex. The sight reminds him even more of Sargasso: broken buildings in a desolate wasteland, only this vortex and world are far more colourful.

With the winds calmer, Yuuma crawls forward on his belly to reach Yuuya. He wants to see what Yuuya sees and keep him company in this moment.

Halfway through the climb, Odd-Eyes jerks sideways. The motion upsets Yuuma’s careful climbing; his hands shoot out to grab at Odd-Eyes’ scales and his legs brace themselves against the dragon’s front legs. He screams as he slips to the side, hands sticky on the dragon’s smooth, cone-shaped spikes.

A hand snatches out to grab him. For the first time that flight Yuuya had looked back at them, red eyes wet. He bites his lip harder as he pulls Yuuma forward and back up onto the dragon. 

“You –”

The words drown in a ferocious roar. Clear Wing takes to the skies, diving at them with a screech. Odd-Eyes dodges the airstrike, wings beating hard as the dragon shoots away. While Yuzu and Haruto hold tight to the thick spikes in the back, Yuuya has no choice but to let Yuuma pilot with him. They cram between the spaces on Odd-Eyes’ horns. Unlike sitting in the back, there is a grip-like texture to the dragon’s horns, as if a duelist is  _ meant  _ to ride up front.

Taking their seats becomes a challenge when Odd-Eyes narrowly avoids Clear Wing’s attacks. Once they are sitting though, the view blows Yuuma away. He feels everything just as he sees it: the slight perspiration of the clouds, the tinge of cold in the breeze, and the heat from the other dragon’s attacks. When Odd-Eyes pulls up to avoid another attack, Yuuma looks back over his shoulder to see Clear Wing. It’s then that he notices the figure nestled behind the large, blue horn on the dragon. The person is wearing a white helmet that hides their face, though neither Yuuma nor Yuuya have to guess who it could be.

“Yuugo!” Yuuma says at one, throwing up a hand. He screams louder: “Oi, Yuugo!”

Yuuya looks mortified at the action. “He won’t recognise you, Yuuma – he might not even recognise  _ me.” _

Yuuma is insistent: “I met him once before! He knows me for sure!” To prove the point, as Odd-Eyes dives towards Clear Wing Yuuma screams his name again. This time Yuugo hears him: the duelist looks back over his shoulder. He clicks a button that opens up the visor of his racing helmet, glowing blue eyes glaring through the opening. 

Next to him, Yuuya swallows. “Yuugo,” he says. His voice is drowned out by the beating wings of the dragons. He tries again. “Yuugo!” This time, Yuugo looks at him. The other duelist’s eyes crinkle and widen in succession, as if he can’t quite believe what he’s seeing. Yuuma isn’t sure what he’s seeing either. Does this Yuugo have his memories of being with Yuuya, of meeting Yuuma? 

What does this Yuugo know?

Clear Wing pulls back from another dive, stopping just above Odd-Eyes. His eyes travel down the dragon, starting first with Yuuya and Yuuma, and ending at where Haruto and Yuzu hang. Then he grins, wide smile and blushing, cherry-tomato cheeks, and cries, “Yuzu!”

Of all the people Yuuma thought Yuuya’s counterparts would know, Yuzu isn’t one of them. However, it appears Yuzu knows Yuugo well: she sits up on the dragon and says, “Yuugo, we need your help.”

Yuugo’s face is still stuck in the giddy, lovesick smile. 

“Yuugo, listen!” Yuzu snaps. “We need your help getting back.”

“Back?”

Yuzu doesn’t elaborate. “We need your help, Yuugo. Where is everyone else?”

Yuugo makes an impressive display of looking around at the crumbling worlds. His eyes begin to dim, fading to a soft blue like the ocean. He continues to look at them, eyes still sticking on Yuuya and Yuzu like he knows them, might even remember them from another time. Up close, Yuuma can now see the similarities between Yuuya and Yuugo: they have the same, heart-shaped face and large, round eyes. 

“Why do you look like me …?” Yuugo asks Yuuya. He turns to Yuzu.  “And why do you look like her?”

“Coincidence,” Yuzu says. “Yuugo, tell us what’s happening here.”

“Becoming one,” Yuugo says. “The Professor wants us to become one once again. There … there’s no one left, and all that’s left is for everything to get sucked into there.”

Yuuma looks down at the vortex. Now that more of the dimensions have been sucked away, Yuuma sees how the mouth of it is opening, stretching to accommodate more debris fluttering into it.. The dragons’ wings begin to beat faster to keep them from being pulled into the rift. 

“We need to find the others,” Yuuya says. “If we find all the others, we’ll be strong enough to break free to the surface. I need your help, Yuugo –”

“Sure!” Yuugo’s answer cuts off whatever Yuuya meant to say. He agrees readily with them, drawing Clear Wing closer so that he can face them properly. Any of his hesitation has disappeared, replaced with an insatiable curiosity. Leaning over the horn of his dragon, he asks, “So, what’s next? Where are we going?”

It’s a question no one has an answer too. Yuuma had expected Yuugo to comply, but not with such enthusiasm. The hasty answer Yuuma spits out does not shock Yuugo: “Heartland. We should go to Heartland.”

“Yuuto,” Yuuya says. 

Yuuma looks up at the skies, hoping he can spot Dark Rebellion’s stained glass wings on the horizon. He can’t; rather, he sees the Heartland Tower  _ burning,  _ an ironic image that leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. The pit in his throat lodges deeper, growing into an ache so strong that Yuuma looks away for a second. Seeing his home crumble shouldn’t have been this upsetting – after all, this version of Heartland isn’t even his home – but the sight is so gruesome that it’s burned into his wet eyes. 

Haruto looks equally terrified. “Do we ...?”

Yuuma nods. “We’ll fly over there then –”

They have but a second to spare before Yuugo and Clear Wing shoot across the sky in a flurry of silvery sparkles, wings shimmering in the kaleidoscopic colours of the maelstrom. Yuuma and Yuuya steer Odd-Eyes forward. Neither of them are sure if Yuugo knows where he is going, but by his nimble movements he seems to be an experienced flier. Once again Yuuma notices how Yuugo  _ stands _ on his dragon, riding it just like Yuuya.

_ It must be a counterpart thing,  _ thinks Yuuma.

The closer they get to Heartland, the more terrifying the image. The city is in shambles; most of the buildings have toppled over from their metallic bases, leaving wires exposed. The large fire on Heartland Tower is a minor problem compared to the million of smaller fires on the ground, climbing up the buildings to consume anything and everything. Thankfully, there are no people in sight, though the thought makes Yuuma shiver. Where did the citizens go? Were they already eliminated?

“There used to be a military group called the Resistance who was fighting against Academia,” Yuuya says. “They had bases here to protect the remains of the city, but …” He swallows. “I don’t see anything to say that they’ve won. Every single one of them is gone.”

Over the sound of the wind, Yuzu calls out to them, “Then is this a timeline where the Resistance lost and the Professor successfully used Arc-V to fuse the dimensions?”

“But that happened in the past timeline. Something  _ different  _ had to happen this time that created this outcome that didn’t happen before.”

The conversation makes Yuuma’s head spin. Previous timelines and future timelines seem difficult to think through, especially for someone who’s never been in either reality. He tries to listen in to what Yuuya and Yuzu are saying.

“What could have been different?” Yuzu says. “The Professor got ahold of us bracelet girls and used the Arc-V machine. Your counterparts are running amuck here as the dimensions fuse together. Is there a chance Academia wiped out everyone else before they started this?”

“No Resistance?” Yuuya shakes his head. “In this world, I haven’t fused with my counterparts yet and neither have you … Ray and Zarc don’t exist yet.”

It’s a thought that makes Yuzu shiver. Yuuma has never asked Yuzu much about her own counterparts, as it was always just stated that they fused together to become Ray, the goddess who rewrote reality. However, now Yuuma sees just what those memories are to Yuzu. She looks away, down at the crumbling buildings and floating junk being sucked into the black hole. “A world in which I don’t exist …”

A world in which Ray and Zarc don’t exist. It’s a reality that perhaps Yuuya and Yuzu might have wanted when time was reset but is now a horrid nightmare. A world in which Ray and Zarc never appeared is a world in which the Professor had free reign to do as he pleased, fused together the dimensions with unstable magic. A world in which Ray and Zarc don’t exist is a world where there is neither order nor chaos, just unstable magic haphazardly trying to reform the world, much in the same that Eliphas once tried to rid the Astral World of chaos. Yuuma knows this argument before: order and chaos must exist simultaneously;  _ Ray and Zarc  _ must exist simultaneously.

More than ever Yuuma thinks that Yuuya’s counterparts should fuse together. However, and Yuuma’s lips quirk up at the thought, he’ll be the order and chaos to keep them together. He’ll be Ray’s order, not separating them apart, but bringing them together in harmony. The world was never meant to be separate, Yuuma knows, but more than ever does he believes that how things were brought together was still to keep the dimensions in the dark.

Not again. Yuuma will be the light to illuminate the worlds into a new reality.

“How will we find Yuuto?” Yuuya asks Yuugo. They’ve been flying around for several minutes and have yet to spot him. The smoke from the buildings has begun to cloak their vision, making it hard to distinguish shapes from the blurry shadows. Any minute Yuuma expects Yuuto to dive at them from above, but between the five of them they keep a close eye on the skies. Even with Yuugo just a step ahead of them, it’s hard to see past the dragon’s swishing tail.

When Yuugo doesn’t answer, Yuuma shouts the question out: “Hey, where’s Yuuto?”

Yuugo dives forward. Yuuya pitches Odd-Eyes forward as well, chasing after Clear Wing’s shining tail. It’s the only visible piece of the dragon Yuuma can see as they chase after Yuugo. Behind them, Yuzu screams to Yuugo to tell them what exactly they’re chasing, but her voice is lost to the wind.

“Where is he even going?” she mutters, and this time the end of her words are lost to a deafening roar. It only takes Yuuma a second to realise that  _ they  _ are being chased by a black dragon, dark as the night, with glowing purple wings. It’s not the same dragon as Yuuma remembers with the stained glass wings, but it’s nonetheless terrifying to see up close. Yuuto is nowhere in sight, not riding atop the dragon’s head.

Dark Rebellion closes in on them at once. The dragon seems to know these skies, dodging flying rubble that Yuuma and Yuuya narrowly avoid. More than once Odd-Eyes’ wings catch on debris, slowing them down for Dark Rebellion to catch up to their speed. When the vicious dragon is inches from them, Yuuya changes strategies: he dives down, corkscrews so that gravity keeps them in their seats, and then arcs up. If Dark Rebellion is going to chase them, he’ll have to follow their lead.

Unfortunately, the other dragon doesn’t take the bait. It shoots forward after Clear Wing, wings beating fast enough to create sound waves. Odd-Eyes launches forward. Now behind Dark Rebellion, Yuuma can see that Yuuto isn’t riding anywhere on the dragon. 

“Is that possible?” Yuuma asks. “We’re not dueling, are we …?”

Yuuya shakes his head. “He has to be around here somewhere.”

Yuuma already has a plan. “Tell Yuugo that we’re going to find Yuuto, and he can deal with Clear Wing.”

“He can’t hear me though –”

“Telepathy!” Yuuma says. “Don’t you have that? Can’t you talk to the others like that?”

Yuuya’s cheeks grow red. “It doesn’t work like that. But …” He chews his lip. “Yuugo will be OK with the dragon. We can go find Yuuto.”

Odd-Eyes pulls away from the battle. In the smoke it’s hard to see what could be a vantage point for a person, but they travel around the city looking for any outcrop that Yuuto could be standing on. The smoke isn’t abrasive to their lungs, Yuuma soon realises, but instead is meant to block them from seeing beyond a few feet. 

Their flight slows as they look around. Somewhere in the distance Yuuma can hear Clear Wing and Dark Rebellion chasing each other, but it’s impossible to know in the dense, fog-like smoke.

“If I were a person, where would I be?” he sing-songs.

It’s Haruto who replies, voice quiet: “Heartland Tower.” Yuuma had forgotten he’d taken Kaito’s brother along, a fact that is probably best forgotten when he realises how much trouble he’ll be in. However, at the moment Haruto’s advice is valid: Heartland Tower is the tallest building in Heartland with a view of the entire city. Only …

“It’s on fire.”

“Duel school,” Yuzu suggests. “Yuuto was enrolled in a duel school. He was in the Spade Branch, I believe –”

“There were duel schools in  _ Heartland?”  _ Yuuma interrupts. 

“There were duel schools everywhere,” Yuuya says. “But there shouldn’t be anymore in the smoke and fire. Yuuto has to be somewhere where none of that could get at him.”

“Edge of the dimension,” Yuzu says. “The wind is probably tearing the smoke away, and if there’s fire in that area then it’s coming from the crumbling ground. He might not be able to see us, but …”

Odd-Eyes dives into the smoke. This time, Yuuma notices how Yuuya’s eyes glow, getting brighter in the fog. He seems to move in synch with his monster. More than even Yuuma wants to try and experience what Yuuya is experiencing, bring their souls together one more time before Yuuma brings them  _ all  _ together. 

Carefully, Yuuma reaches out and touches his Yuuya’s hands. He meets Yuuya’s eyes, mentally asking him,  _ Hey, want to be together for a bit longer?  _ Yuuya responds by letting down his barriers, enough so that by the power of Zexal Yuuma can ‘become one’ with Yuuya. He lets his body stay next to Yuuya, not bothering to make a complete transformation, but rather to just share in Yuuya’s thoughts, feelings, and sights.

The first thing Yuuma notices is that looking through Yuuya’s eyes is like merging with a dragon: the colours are more vibrant, his vision more sensitive to any blur or movement along his irises. No wonder Yuuya didn’t crash them if his eyesight was this good. The next thing Yuuma notices is that he can feel the dragon too like he’s merged minds with more than just Yuuya, and the realisation shocks him enough that Yuuya feels it through their linked minds.

“All good?” he whispers.

Yuuma can’t whisper back, so he shouts it out. “I feel dragons in my mind.”

It makes no sense, but it gets a smile on Yuuya’s face, one that Yuuma hasn’t seen this entire trip.

A minute later, Yuzu’s suggestion turns out to be right. As they dive out of the thicket, beneath them a lone figure sits on the edge of the dimension, legs dangling off the side. This area hasn’t broken away quite yet, but by the strong winds through this area Yuuma supposes it’ll only be a matter of time before most of Heartland is consumed in the vortex.

When Yuuma met Yuuto, he remembered a serious guy with a big heart: someone like Kaito or Shark, who cares about those close to him but is closed-off to the rest of the world. The boy sitting on the edge of the world looks like a softer version of him: without his ripped-cape getup, Yuuto is dressed down in jeans and a t-shirt, two belts hanging off his hips and not doing anything besides looking cool. His purple bangs are whipped to the sides by the strong breeze; when he looks up, Yuuma only has a moment to catch his gentle expression before his eyes narrow and he bites his lips.

Yuuya dives after him.

“Yuuto!” he cries.

There’s a different feeling in Yuuma’s chest when Yuuya cries out Yuuto’s name; unlike with Yuugo, it’s more intimate and personal, as if Yuuya has known Yuuto – been  _ with  _ Yuuto – far longer than he’s been with his other counterparts. It’s a feeling that brushes against Yuuma’s mind, so he believes he’s intimate with Yuuto too. 

To their luck, this feeling gets them closer. As Yuuya nosedives towards Yuuto, he reaches out a hand to his counterpart. Though his voice is drowned in the wind, Yuuma hears him scream, “I got you, Yuuto!”

Yuuto takes hold of Yuuya’s hand at once. His eyes grow wider and softer as he lets himself be pulled up onto the dragon; Yuuya’s arm muscles protest the action, but in no time are they seated on the dragon, Yuuto tucked between the spikes along Odd-Eyes’ neck. He snatches glances at each of them, looking unsure of his choices until Yuuya looks back at him.

“Call off Dark Rebellion – please. Who you’re fighting … he’s one of us.”

Yuuto nods. He looks over his shoulder, eyes falling back on Yuzu. “R-ruri …?”

“Yuzu,” she says. “Where is Ruri?”

“Gone,” Yuuto says. There is a noticeable catch in his voice, one that makes him look down towards the swirling, kaleidoscopic vortex beneath them. Yuuma wonders if perhaps the other girls are in the vortex, unable to become one because Yuzu is here. It sets gears spinning in Yuuma’s mind: if everyone fell into the vortex and became one, would they all survive? Yuuma has already considered jumping into the void with Yuuya and his counterparts as a way to bring them together with the power of Zexal, but up until this point he hadn’t considered how Yuzu fit into the equation.

_ This is a world in which Yuuya and Yuzu don’t exist,  _ Yuuma thinks.  _ A world in which they are not whole. _

Dark Rebellion breaks through the smoke, swiftly followed by Yuugo on Clear Wing. The dragons nip at each other; Yuugo looks affronted, leaning down over his dragon so he can glare and pout at Yuuto. “You’re a pain in the neck, dude,” he says. “Get on your dragon and fight properly.”

Yuuto sniffs, refusing to meet Yuugo’s flaring eyes. “If you can’t beat me while I’m away from my dragon, why should I waste my time chasing you?”

Yuuma has never seen someone’s face get so red: Yuugo’s cheeks pop red and pink, and his big mouth is open before the wind can snatch his words away: “I’ll kick your ass next time!”

The arguing only seems to get to Yuugo; Yuuto remains calm, looking out at Academia. “The other guy – Yuuri – should be around here.”

A frown sets across Yuuya’s face. “We were already at Academia and we didn’t see him …”

Yuuma expects a dive-bomb at that exact moment. He expects Yuuri to take the chance and attack them while they’re most vulnerable, slamming against Odd-Eyes with a poisonous, grisly dragon. However, there is no surprise attack: they look through the skies for movement, and the only sights they spot are the debris of the crumbling dimensions. They can’t hear anything but their own anxious breaths.

“Do you think … he’s in there?”

Yuuri crashes into them.

Or rather, his dragon does. Yuuma  _ thinks  _ he recognises the Fusion dragon by the purple design and bright, fluorescent pink wings; however, as the dragon rams into them again, Yuuma realises this  _ isn’t  _ Starve Venom, the Fusion dragon Yuuya once summoned. It isn’t even an Odd-Eyes Fusion. This dragon glows brighter than all of them, angelic wings buzzing with electric currents. Yuuma can’t even tell where the dragon’s  _ head  _ is when it zips by and whacks them with its electrifying tail.

And then the impact hits them. Odd-Eyes cries out in pain, flying across the sky before its wings can catch the fall. Yuuma thinks they’ll even crash into one of the dimensions until the dragon rights itself. Clear Wing and Dark Rebellion both lunge after the dragon, snapping at its exposed limbs. Through the burning light Yuuma can’t even  _ see  _ Yuuri.

Behind them, Yuuto growls, “Greedy Venom.”

Yuuma turns around. “What?”

“The evolution of Starve Venom.”

“A rank up then!” Yuuma says. An idea pops into his head at the moment, splitting his face in a grin unsuitable for their dire conditions. “Yuuya, Yuuto, you’ve gotta rank up too! You must be able to!”

Yuuma’s message is clear. When Dark Rebellion flies beside them, Yuuto hops off. When his hands and legs hit the dragon, he cries out, “From the depths of purgatory, dedicate to the unsinking souls your song of rebellion! Appear and echo forevermore! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear, Rank 5! Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!”

The dragon that takes flight is more beautiful than Yuuma has ever seen. Wings of stained glass cut through the smoke and debris surrounding them. There is gold up and down the dragon’s chest to protect it from any attacks on its soft belly. Its back is fitted with purple spikes that Yuuto clings to; he doesn’t ride atop his dragon’s head, but instead blends into its neck. 

Their message, it seems, was passed onto Yuugo as well. An angelic beast takes to the skies, so bright that Yuuma has to shield his eyes. Yuugo rides atop his dragon, feet planted on either side of the monster’s small, white head. In Yuuma’s mind, he already knows the name of the dragon: Crystal Wing. Yuuma feels a longing burn within him; he grabs Yuuya’s hand, looks back at Yuzu holding Haruto, and then nods.

“Let’s do this!”

Yuuma grabs Yuuya’s hand, entwines their fingers together, and pushes it down on Odd-Eyes’ neck. The dragon ignites and bursts beneath them: it’s like being in Zexal except Yuuma can’t  _ see  _ Yuuya, only feel his hands and his heart and his mind. In his mind Yuuma can see the new dragon: Supreme King Dragon Odd-Eyes has red and gold emblazoned up its slim body. It’s smaller than the other dragon circling in the skies, but no less powerful when its gem-tipped tail smashes into Greedy Venom. 

Yuuma blinks. Yuuya’s eyes are dichromatic red and green, flecked with gold as he sweeps his gaze across the field. Being with Yuuya means feeling what Yuuya is feeling – the longing tug towards Yuuto and Yuugo and Yuuri, all three dragon riders fighting in the skies that have slowly become darker. The dimensions are closer than ever now, closing in on them and drawing them close together. Yuuma wonders if Yuuya already knows the strategy. 

He turns back to Yuzu and Haruto and shouts, “Whatever you do, don’t let go, OK?”

They nod, bracing each other. 

Yuuma isn’t sure what will happen to anyone in there, but his mind is only focused on miracles. With a war cry, Odd-Eyes latches onto Greedy Venom, claws sinking into the dragon’s electric wings. Yuuri’s dragon attempts to break free at once, neck and tail both snapping out to catch on Odd-Eyes. It’s in that moment that Yuuma sees Yuuri, sitting atop his dragon like a prince. His mouth is bloody red, teeth stained from his lips that he appears to have bitten during the fight. The rest of him is regal, purple suit cinched and pressed, looking ready to attend a ball instead of a fight.

Crystal Wing hits Greedy Venom. With three dragons tied together, they begin to sink towards the maelstrom. At the bottom of the pile is Greedy Venom, flailing helplessly under the combined weights of Odd-Eyes and Crystal Wing. Yuuri seems to realise what is happening at once; his dragon’s tail rakes along Crystal Wing’s sides, drawing red blood that spills into the abyss. Yuugo cries out in pain, eyes sparking blue, the same blue that Yuuma remembers when he was in Zexal with Yuuya and all his counterparts.

_ It’s working,  _ he thinks.

Odd-Eyes, the smallest of the dragon, struggles to hold Greedy Venom down. The dragon’s body bucks with each hit from Greedy Venom’s talons. When a particular nasty claw scratches down Odd-Eyes’ neck, both Yuuya and Yuuma groan in pain. 

Dark Requiem crashes down on them. Yuuya and Yuuma narrowly avoid the claws that sink into Greedy Venom, slamming them into the outer rings of the maelstrom. The dragon’s glass wings shimmer in the technicolour lights, creating new stars in the galaxies that have formed between the falling of the dimensions. There is no longer light in this world: it looks like when Yuuma fell  _ into  _ this world, an endless space. The bleeding remains of the sky are pulled into the maelstrom.

Academia falls first. 

The dimension tips and crashes into Heartland Tower, remaining buildings shattering and groaning under the pressure. There isn’t much space between the areas, and with a push Yuuya, Yuuto, and Yuugo shove Yuuri and his dragon into the maelstrom first. There is a scream from Yuuri, growing more distant as the dragon passes through the space.

Crystal Wing goes next, an angel disappearing into the dark folds of the world. Then Dark Requiem, its wing the only visible part of its jet black body. Finally, Odd-Eyes crashes into the vortex.

Yuuma squeezes Yuuya’s hand.

_ Kattobingu. _

The wind crashes into them, throwing Odd-Eyes through a city so reminiscent of Heartland that Yuuma nearly does a double-take. It’s hard to see much more of the new place when they’re barrel-rolling through the sky, but with Yuuma and Yuuya’s combined strength they spread Odd-Eyes’ wings and still their crash. In the distance, the other dimensional dragons twirl through the air, bright specks along a dizzyingly beautiful horizon.

Where they’ve landed is a new world for Yuuma. It reminds him of Heartland with its colourful designs and organic shapes. The world is out of a pastel dream land unfit for the disaster they just crashed through. There are birds flying in the gentle breeze, warm smells of baked bread in the air, and the cheery bustle of people in the streets …

“Where are we …?” Yuzu asks. She raises her head, arms still shielding Haruto from the hairpin turns they had just been doing. “Are we … back home?”

This doesn’t look like home to Yuuma. It’s too different from each of the dimensions, yet similar enough to presume that someone borrowed architectural elements from this place to split among the four cities. Yuuma wonders if perhaps it’s a town outside of the United Dimensions, such as a city on a different continent. Did they dimension jump into another world? Is this even in the same  _ timeline  _ as the dimensional destruction they just escaped from?

Looking up to the sky, Yuuma sees no signs of a dimensional breakdown. The hole they fell through has already closed up. This world has moved peacefully on from the damage and destruction of the other worlds.

Next to him, Yuuya is chewing his lip and looking out at his dimensional counterparts. They’ve all been pushed to separate corners of this world; in the distance, Yuugo’s white and blue speck is visible chasing after Yuuri, who zigzags through the sky on violet wings. Yuuto and Dark Requiem hover nearby, but as Yuuto drives Yuuri around the city, Yuuto joins in on the chase. Two dragons outmatch Yuuri even with his impressive flying skills. 

Below them, the city continues to bustle and blur.

At the edge of the dimension, Odd-Eyes hovers. Yuuma’s eyes can’t fix onto anything familiar: it’s all new to him. He pushes curious thoughts towards Yuuya:  _ come look with me, come check all this out.  _ Yuuya, in turn, shoves his anxious thoughts towards Yuuma:  _ we’re not meant to be here, why did we end up here? _

“Where is this?” Yuuma asks aloud at the same time that Haruto exclaims, “Hey, how come those people don’t see the dragons?”

The city gives a violent flicker like a computer glitching while loading. The entire city shifts sideways for a minute, the people freezing in position, before the world returns to normal. The moment happens in the blink of an eye, but it’s enough of a change that Yuuma  _ feels  _ how wrong this place is, how different this world is from any other world he’s been in. With growing fear, Yuuma looks up at the sky. The colours are fading in the sky – they once looked like clouds, but now Yuuma realises it’s the literal  _ sky disintegrating above them oh my god this world is unstable and collapsing – _

Odd-Eyes dashes forward into the brawl. Both Yuuma and Yuuya share the same anxiety as they launch themselves onto Greedy Venom, dragging the purple dragon up towards the disappearing sun. It also brings Yuuri swinging down from his dragon’s head, enough so that Yuuma can properly get a look at Yuuya’s fourth counterpart. Yuuma remembers Yuuri being teasing and sly; this Yuuri looks borderline sadistic. 

“I found you,” Yuuri says.

Something claps them together. All four dragons and their riders are  _ squeezed;  _ Yuuma feels the pressure start in his mind and travel down his neck to his chest. His heart tries to beat faster, but his entire body and spirit is frozen. Out of the corner of his eye he can see Yuuya, eyes squeezed shut in pain. He can hear the laboured breaths of the counterparts. With Yuuma being connected to Yuuya, he too feels what they feel –

And then the pressure is gone. From within the folds of reality descends a god upon a dragon, a boy Yuuma has never seen before. The sky, an endless void above their weary heads, opens up so that a dragon can shoot through the small space. Its entire body is black as the night, sucking away any light that dare try to reflect off its surface. There are sickly green lines running like veins along the dragon’s body, pulsing to the beat of the pressure in Yuuma’s head. The dragon keeps darting out of view, snapping around him, so Yuuma can’t see who is with the dragon. 

He hears him though. He hears a boy’s voice in his mind – in  _ Yuuya’s  _ mind – and it’s rich and deep. “We will become one.”

The voice grows louder and deeper as the boy and dragon spin faster around the dimensional counterparts and Yuuma. Yuuma hears Haruto scream his name, and Yuzu scream Yuuya’s. Yuuma tries to scream after Yuuya, after anyone that might be able to stop the increasing pressure on his mind. 

_ We will become one. _

Yuuma shakes his head.  _ We will be  _ together.

Zarc and his dragon spin faster. The chanting gets louder, a chorus of voices screaming in the tempest. The wind lifts him up in the air, and before his hands can grapple at Odd-Eyes spikes and drag him back down, Yuuma in airborne. He scrunches his eyes tight as a gust of wind throws him up in the air. He screams, noting that there are several other voices screaming with him. 

He doesn’t fall.

Yuuma squeezes his eyes shut before flicking them open. 

He’s in space – again. It’s a sight that makes Yuuma sick to his stomach, not that he doesn’t want to see a world so beautiful and vast, but because he can’t see the dimensional cities anywhere. A dark thought sticks in his mind: are the cities gone? Did Zarc obliterate every dimension in existence, voiding a world that was struggling to survive and remember?

Was this Zarc’s wish?

Yuuma blinks again, this time spotting the four counterparts around him. There are two on each side, bodies floating in space. Their faces are pinched in pain, eyes and mouths open and looking up to the heavens in the stars. Across from them, Zarc stands, gold eyes brilliant like two suns. Yuuma has never seen Zarc before, not even in Yuuya’s memories. The sight is not what he expected. Zarc is young, dressed down in a white and blue riding jacket and brown chaps. His hair is silver like the Milky Way above their head, bangs tinged green. He sets his mouth in a deep frown, looking across at Yuuma.

“You … aren’t me,” he says, crossing his arms. 

The Key around Yuuma’s neck glows. He claps it and holds it up. “I’m with Yuuya,” he says. 

Zarc steps forward and grabs a hold of Yuuri’s cape. He  _ squeezes,  _ and suddenly Yuuri isn’t there anymore. There’s a gentle, pink light that Zarc brushes against his lip, eyes illuminated by what Yuuma can only imagine is Yuuri’s soul. Zarc squishes the soul this time: it  _ pops!  _ in the cavernous room, echoing around walls that Yuuma can’t see through the haze. All Yuuma can focus on is Yuuya and his counterparts immobilised before him, and Zarc standing greedily across from him.

“I’d become one with you,” Zarc says after a moment. “You aren’t like me, but you could be me, right?” His voice lilts and twists with a smile painfully tugging up the corners of his mouth.

“We’ll be together,” Yuuma insists. “All of us, for once and for all. I’m not going to separate you again, but I won’t let you take away Yuuya. He’s my friend – he’s his own person.”

Zarc steps forward to grab Yuuto at the same time that Yuuma reaches out to take Yuuya’s hand. The magic is instant: the Key glows in the infinite chasm as Yuuma sweeps forth to embrace Yuuya. Their souls come together, falling into place like puzzle pieces. There is no hesitation when Yuuma opens his eyes, feels Yuuya’s soul nestled within him. 

“This is being together,” Yuuma says. 

He and Zarc lunge for Yuugo at the same time. Yuuma doesn’t know what to expect when his hands not only touch Yuugo, who melts into him, but also Zarc. The Zexal power flares: Yuuma hears voices and screams, growing louder as he holds tight to Yuugo’s hand. Zarc’s arms wrap around him, burying his face into Yuuma’s shoulder. It feels like liquid ice trailing down his back, the way Zarc’s soul can rend through him and try to take Yuuma. 

And that’s when Yuuma feels  _ them,  _ the slightest of his connections to Astral and Don Thousand, his remaining links to the Parallel Worlds. He’s been able to feel them all this time – Ray’s rewrite never stopped any Barian Invasion events from happening – but sharing their strength is a new experience. They too hold onto Yuuya’s soul, perhaps realising how  _ important  _ Yuuya is to Yuuma.

Yuuma lets Zarc’s soul creep into him until he can squash the god-like soul in his arms. He captures Zarc with two gentle jaws, holding tight so that none of them can escape.

_ We’re together,  _ Yuuma tells Zarc.  _ We’re together with you. _

Zarc bucks against him. His soul flares around Yuuma, a searing presence that tries to overpower everything and anyone. He refuses to let go of Yuuri and Yuuto until Yuuma can physically pull his hands away, until all four counterparts and Zarc are around Yuuma. He can distinguish each soul; they are all persons in this world, and it’s not about them fusing together to erase their individual existences, but rather to come back together in harmony  _ as individuals. _

_ That’s what I want,  _ Yuuma thinks.  _ I want to be with you, all of you, and I don’t want  _ anyone  _ to think they’re less important. There’s a pressure to perform and a pressure to be, and for once all I want you to be is you. I want everyone to be them – and that’s a selfish goal! I’ll be selfish for you. _

Zexal power sparks, a rainbow of vibrant colours as they come together one last time. Yuuma doesn’t let go of anyone. Whether they make it out of this world or not, Yuuma won’t let Ray erase time. Yuuma won’t let Zarc squash his counterparts.

_ I’ll keep looking for Yuuya. _

_ I’ll keep looking for my hope. _


	26. Dawn of a New Day - Bring the Counterparts Together!

Yuuma wakes up to galaxies in his eyes. It’s a beautiful view, something he hasn’t seen in so long but he remembers so fondly. He remembers looking up at the stars with Astral, and again with Vector. He remembers nights on the airship looking at the stars with Shark and Kaito. He remembers watching Nasch fall away into the cosmos, and again Astral leaving him for his world too. The many fond memories make his heart flutter, and it pains him to tear his eyes away from the breathtaking sight.

Yuuya is lying next to him.

Yuuma’s eyes widen and then crinkle, warmth filling his stomach. Yuuya’s eyes are gently closed, head turned towards Yuuma. His lips are open slightly, and in this vast galaxy Yuuma can hear the faint whispers of his friend’s breath. Yuuya looks neither tired nor hurt; whatever has brought them here hasn’t affected him.

Lifting himself off the ground, Yuuma notes that there is no pain in his arms either. He feels like he’s woken up from a long nap.

The other counterparts are lying nearby. Yuugo is at Yuuya’s feet, spread out to take up as much space as his body can manage. Yuuto, lying next to Yuuya, is curled up in a tight ball, facing Yuuya with a warm smile tucked into the corner of his mouth. Yuuri is on his other side, in an even smaller ball with his knees pulled up to his chest. Peeking over the sea of bodies, Yuuma sees Zarc.

The original counterpart, he wants to say. He’s not sure who or what Zarc is, but he’s here too, head leaning against his raised arm that cushions him. He looks … content. 

Yuuma crawls over to Yuuya, curling inside the slight nook of his body. He lets himself be enveloped by Yuuya, tugging his arms over his shoulders so that they are pressed together, Yuuya’s nose in his neck and whispering his hair back. Yuuma hasn’t been this close to Yuuya in a while; he’ll take the moment while he can. His eyes struggle to stay open – he wants to keep looking at the stars – but the warmth and comfort drags his eyes closed.

The sleep he falls into is light and airy, as if he’s just resting his body and soul while the other counterparts come to. Yuuma doesn’t realise he’s glowing again until he tries to entwine his hands with Yuuya’s, noticing the distinct, Zexal-like glow to his body. Rather than push the feeling aside, Yuuma lets it wash over him.

_ We’ll be together at last. _

For the first time, Yuuma hears their voices –  _ all  _ of their voices. The counterparts create a symphony reminiscent of Yuzu’s monsters, stringing sounds and words together that Yuuma’s brain can’t begin to decipher. He doesn’t need to know what they’re saying to feel the strength and power and positivity flow through him.

The world opens up like a clam, bathing him in warm sunlight. Through his squinting eyes Yuuma sees a tall, magnificent city spring up from the centre, futuristic buildings so familiar to Yuuma. Then a stadium pops up from the earth with the accompanying sounds of people cheering and laughing, and a duelist cheering and laughing. The city doesn’t stop growing from there: no, one that city has been completed, four streets branch out from the core, spawning their own places. Yuuma sees Heartland Tower first, shooting up from the ground in a series of flashes. Then the rest of the city takes root, rumbling the core of the galaxies. Next to Heartland City is Maiami, an equally colourful world with a large, floating stadium. Water gushes from rivers appearing in the cracks of the galaxy; where there would be stars are now mountains and valleys, forests and lakes. 

_ Pop!  _ Academia’s castle appears atop the main island off the coast of the white city. This time, the castle looks like homely: the bricks are freshly painted and the gardens maintained, and from the courtyard Yuuma hears duelists setting up after-class matches. He closes his eyes for a moment and imagines Sora there, teaching young children how to Fusion Summon well before they’ve learned anything else –

“Yuuma!”

He blinks.

_ He’s  _ in Academia, looking up at the dizzying ceiling where the dragons and bracelets are carved into the stone. Sora is also right above him, and Yuuya too. Someone is holding his hand – he hopes it’s Yuuya – and someone is talking to him, and with everything going on in that one tiny space Yuuma’s hazy mind can’t  _ focus.  _ He squeezes his eyes shut and forces them back open, hoping maybe something will make sense by that time.

It’s a new view. Yuuma’s sitting on clouds looking out over a complete world, a place without mysteries or worries. The original dimension, the United Land, has appeared in what would have been the lake. With his god-like vision Yuuma can see duel schools around the dimensions and he can hear Entertainment dueling taking the place worldwide; his heart nearly bursts through his chest at the sight of what has happened.

They remember.

They all remember each other now, coming together like long-lost friends. 

Yuuya appears next to him, smiling behind a fist. “You know,” he says, “I didn’t think it would work. I didn’t think we’d work together, agree – I didn’t think any of this could happen.”

“Hm?” is all Yuuma can say.

“You’re lucky, Yuuma,” he says. “With the girls away, you could stop the rewrite. With your connection to me, you could bring us all together without  _ fusing  _ us together as some broken entity. You … you wanted to do that all along, didn’t you? That was your wish.”

Yuuma nods. He kicks his feet and says, “And now look - Entertainment dueling is loved by all. It’s evolved as a sport with minor risks! No more worrying about hearing voices for the wrong reasons, right?” When Yuuya only chuckles, Yuuma sneaks a hand forward so he can take Yuuya in his arms. They’ve been together so much that he only has to fall into Yuuya to fit into place. They tumble down on a fluffy patch of clouds, Yuuma’s legs straddling Yuuya’s waist. 

Carefully, Yuuma twists his fingers around the Pendulum. “When you’re afraid, just  _ kattobingu. _ When you’re swinging one way, just ride the pendulum back even harder.”

He trails his fingers up to Yuuya’s chin, coming up to cup his cheek. Yuuya lifts himself off the clouds to meet him halfway, parting his lips just enough that Yuuma can kiss back. To keep Yuuya upright, Yuuma pulls his other hand around Yuuya to rest against his back; recognising the feel of fingers on his back, Yuuya deepens the kiss. Yuuya’s nose brushes Yuuma’s cheek, breathing softly at he bites down gently on Yuuma’s lower lip.

It’s a new feeling, something that gets Yuuma’s heart racing and throws his eyes open. Yuuya leans back a bit, running over the bite mark with the soft flesh of his upper lip.

“That hurt?” he whispers.

“No, just surprising.” Yuuma tries to do it back, pushing his nose up against Yuuya’s cheek and biting down on his lip. Unfortunately, he misses and bites his top lip. It’s only a problem for a second before Yuuya is kissing him again, slowly and gently to the beat of their hearts together. 

_ If this is a dream,  _ thinks Yuuma,  _ then I never want to wake up from it. _

Only he does, minutes later by an emphatic shake of his shoulder that throws his head sideways. This time Yuuma can see his friends crouching nearby him, Yuzu and Sora and Haruto and Kotori and –

Yuuma blinks. Where is he? He’s not in Academia, but instead in his bedroom. Not all these people live close enough to be with him. What …

“Relax,” Shark says, stepping forward to set a hand on his shoulder. “You’re going to tip yourself off your hammock.”

Oh. That’s what that distinct feeling is of something rocking him back and forth. Carefully, Yuuma stretches his arms up above his head and brings them down to rub at his eyes. He’s not sure what reality he’s supposed to be in, or what memories to believe were real or dreams. Letting his hands travel down his face, Yuuma holds two digits against his lips. They’re red and bruised from Yuuya testing out how much he could bite Yuuma.

Oh.

Yuuma’s cheeks heat up and he sits upright. His friends leap up to get him seated at once, all of them acting like he can’t be upright for two seconds without keeling over again. Yuuma feels  _ fine,  _ better even. Everyone is looking at him, tears in their eyes, smiling –

Something is shoved promptly under his tongue. Yuuma chokes, gags, but keeps the thermometer under his tongue as Akari glowers above at him. She looks exceptionally pissed by the way her eyebrows are drawn together and her lips are pursed, but to his surprise she doesn’t snap at him. Yuuma expects it. He expects her to tell him that he’s an idiot for travelling to Academia, and even if she doesn’t know about how he jumped off a balcony to get to a time when the dimensions were fusing together, his sister is smart enough to know that he put himself in grave danger. However, she still says nothing. When the thermometer beeps, she rips it out his mouth and squints at the digital reading.

“No fever,” she says. She crosses her arms over her chest. “Diagnosis for you, Yuuma: you’re an idiot.”

He laughs. “Did I catch that from you, sis?”

Akari stiffens, huffs, and then embraces him before Yuuma can do anything else. She pulls him tight to her chest and with a quick squeeze, she whispers in his ear, “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

Yuuma wiggles away from her, laughing. “You’re embarrassing me, sis! Geez, all my friends are here and watching you get all sappy and emotional.” He looks over Akari’s shoulder at everyone, who is either staring with intent or looking away with rosy cheeks. He pushes her away, but doesn’t let her go. “How did I end up … here?”

“You mean in your room?” she says. “Shiunin-kun and Hiiragi-chan called us and said you had passed out on a field trip to Academia. I came to pick you up.”

Yuuma’s memory is crystal-clear on what happened in Academia. He notices that both Yuzu and Sora are with him, and Haruto too, which means …

“Where’s Yuuya?”

Yuzu chuckles. “Sleeping on your bed downstairs –”

“An actual bed,” Shark says. “And you’re not getting up to see him until you’ve drunk this.” He holds out a glass of water, frowning. “No more stupid choices, right?”

Yuuma snatches up the glass and throws his head back, swallowing it in two big gulps. He laughs as he shoves the glass back into Shark’s hands, spotting his shocked expression. “No more stupid choices, I drank your water, and now I’m good to go!” He rolls himself off of the hammock, landing on all four on the ground before his friends. Half of them step back in surprise; Akari and Shark step forward to catch him.

“I’m fine,” Yuuma says. He pushes himself up onto his legs, which feel like gelatin under his body. They hadn’t felt this strange while lying on the bed, but now that he’s put pressure on them Yuuma feels quite unstable. He reaches out a hand to brace himself on Shark, chuckling under his breath. “I’m fine.”

“You can barely stand on your own feet,” Shark mutters. 

“A side-effect!” Blushing, Yuuma says. “I just … I want to see Yuuya.”

Yuzu extends a hand to him. She flexes her fingers when he doesn’t step forward, and tells him, “Come on, we’ll go check if he’s awake. He’s been asleep all this time. Unlike you, he wasn’t rolling around in bed and ready to flip off.” 

Yuuma takes her hand and lets her lead him slowly down the stairs. There’s a hanging rope that he wants to take down to his bedroom, but Yuzu tells him bluntly that he’ll fall smack on his face if he tries that. Instead, she stands in front of him and makes him take the steep steps one at a time like a toddler, watching his legs shake under his weight. It’s embarrassing only when Shark tells him to stop rushing and trying to take the steps two at a time, and Yuuma has to step down even slower.

Halfway down the stairs, Yuuma spots Yuuya. He’s passed out on the bed, rolled to the side with his cheek smushed against several plush pillows. His goggles are off his head and his hair has been smoothed down to caress his pink cheeks. He looks … content, like Yuuma remembers in all the times he woke up mid-Zexal formation. 

Next to him are Reira and Reiji. Upstairs, Yuuma had wondered who was resting with Yuuya when his friends were upstairs. Yuuma had never thought the Akabas would visit his home, especially having not met them more than a handful of times. Nonetheless, Reiji sits on a wooden chair by the bed. He doesn’t look tired or worried despite the prominent feeling of unease in the room. Sleeping on his lap is Reira, face nestled in his brother’s arms.

They both look up when Yuuma starts stumbling down the stairs, led by Yuzu and followed by Shark. 

“Tsukumo,” Reiji says by way of greeting.

“Akaba-san!” Yuuma says. “You came to my house!”

“It’s not as difficult as you may think,” Reiji says. He looks over at Yuuya. “And I’m here to check up on Yuuya. His mother already has her hands full …”

Everything he says sounds cryptic and strange, and Yuuma wants to ask about  _ everything.  _ However, now that his feet are no longer on stairs, he stumbles forward to see Yuuya. Naturally, his wobbly legs bang together and he trips over his own feet, and the motion sends him tumbling into Yuuya’s bed. He lands before it, fall softened by the plush orange carpets around the bed. 

“He hasn’t woken up yet,” Reiji says. 

That doesn't matter to Yuuma. He pushes his face into the covers and peers up at Yuuya’s sleeping expression. He still can’t whisper, but he says, “Hey, when you wake up you’ll have to tell me what you remember of that fever dream.”

Out of the corner of his eyes, Yuuma sees Reiji raise one eyebrow. “You remember …?”

Yuuma nods. “I remember everything – the fight, the end of the world apologetic –

“Apocalypse,” Yuzu corrects.

“ – and all the stuff in between.” Yuuma blushes and rubs at his head. “I made sure that everyone remembered this time, so that the same mistakes can’t be made twice. Entertainment dueling shouldn’t hurt anyone anymore, and nobody should be missing or forgotten. We’re all back, right?”

Reiji nods. “And this was the best choice, Tsukumo?”

Yuuma nods. “The worlds are back together.”

This time it’s Yuzu who raises an eyebrow. “Is that why we’re closer now?”

“Closer?”

Yuzu walks over to the window and draws open the blinds. Warm sunlight spills into the room, temporarily blinding Yuuma. When he can see, Yuzu points at the buildings and skyscrapers, at the castles and mountains that don’t seem quite so distant. “When you brought the worlds back together, Yuuma, you were quite literal with your wish. The dimensions are closer than ever now – separate, but connected by even deeper bonds. These worlds are truly united: you don’t have to take long train rides or big trips to get home anymore.

“And the friendships: for the first time ever, you can go to school wherever you’d like and not feel like it’s a hassle. No longer are there dimensions focusing solely on Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Pendulum: you can learn anything anywhere, though there are still specialty schools that can help you master one Summoning style. Entertainment dueling is everywhere, Yuuma.”

She laughs, a trilling sound that reminds Yuuma of bells and whistles. “You did it, Yuuma. You brought the worlds back together.”

Yuuma shakes his head. “Yuuya and I did, together. We formed Zexal, like the distant souls coming together to create something magical, and we wrote time once more … no, we  _ unwound  _ time, stopping what Ray tried to keep away. She did her best, but … it’s for the best that the dimensions remember what happened. That’s how you learn, right? By making mistakes and learning from them.”

Snaking his hand across the bed, his fingers make their way into Yuuya’s hand. “More than anything I want to share happiness with the world.”

Yuzu nods. “You brought everyone back.”

Yuuma hears it again, the leading statement that Yuuma wants to pounce on. “Who else did I bring back?”

And to his surprise, Yuzu’s eyes prick with tears. She lets them hang on her long eyelashes, and when they fall she only brushes them away with the back of her hands. Yuuma has never seen her cry before, never seen her in anything but joy or frustration – but sadness? Yuuma doesn’t know what she could be so sad about, especially since he brought  _ Yuuya  _ back and he supposes the counterparts too, and –

“The girls,” Yuuma says. “Did you get to meet your counterparts too?”

Yuzu nods.

While Yuzu cries and Yuuma looks over his shoulder to watch her, Reiji clears his throat. They both turn to face him and he folds his hands atop his brother’s lap, staring them down through red square glasses. It’s even harder to understand how he feels about this statement, but the way his lips are pressed in a thin line makes Yuuma think he isn’t happy.

“Why did you bring everyone back, Yuuma?”

“I already said: I wanted everyone to remember.”

Reiji sits forward a bit. “Tsukumo-kun, time has been rewritten  _ twice  _ now. You did not unwrite time, but fixed it to suit a particular wish of your own. This world has been rewritten to suit what  _ you  _ wished in the world, regardless of what might have been good or beneficial or necessary. Not only has this rewrite altered how city matters occur, but there are sixt new people in a city that has drastically evolved past what they can imagine –”

“Six?”

Reiji ignores him: “I have to ask again, Tsukumo: why did you do this? Solely for yourself?”

“For everyone!” Yuuma says.

Reiji doesn’t miss a beat: “Is this what everyone wanted?”

Cold water washes over Yuuma, covering his eyes and filling his lungs and drowning his head. His stomach sloshes painfully inside of his, and he instinctively draws a hand up to protect himself. The accusation is a thousand knives to his dreary heart: Yuuma feels like he’s been shredded into a million pieces. He swallows the glass in his throat and the liquid in his lungs, and still the words come out as more than a whisper.

“Why?”

Vector once told him that the best way to win an argument was to twist someone’s words against them and expose the truth. Yuuma doesn’t know how to do that, and he certainly can’t get his hazy mind to twist the  _ truth  _ Akaba Reiji has dropped on him – truth that Yuuma doesn’t want to believe, and is certain that no one else will believe. Who wanted to live in such a distant, disconnected world? Who wanted to live in the shadows?

“Yes!” Yuuma says this time, and the breathlessness of his voice betrays the emotion he feels. “Yes, this is what everyone wanted!”

Reiji pinches his lips together until they are as grey as his hair. “How do you know?”

“I just know!” Yuuma says. “A world where everyone lives in darkness and fear and shadows isn’t a world we should be living in! This world is what was  _ supposed  _ to happen if we hadn’t all be so scared of the truth –”

“The truth, Yuuma, is that time has stopped..”

Yuuma stops. He starts again, feels how heavy his tongue is, and stops. “W-what?”

“You cannot mess with time and not expect to have consequences unless thought you could just flip back a switch. You jumped through a timeline, rewrote how a major event happened, and expected life to move on past that? There was an entire year of changes that happened between that – changes you weren’t aware of –”

“Because this world is full of secrets!” Yuuma blurts out. “I didn’t want any more secrets!”

“That is selfish, Yuuma.”

“Reiji –”

“I did the right thing!” Yuuma says. He pushes himself off Yuuya’s bed, using his hands to pull himself up to standing height. He won’t be on his knees before Reiji’s chair. However, even seated Reiji is terrifying: Yuuma feels scared before someone with such power, someone who might have known something about the rewrite and about Entertainment dueling that Yuuma never considered asking about.

Suddenly, Yuuma’s plans sound naive.

But he’s not going to say that to Reiji.

“I did the right thing,” he says again. “Entertainment duels were hurting more than just me and Yuuya. Everyone was hurting from what happened, and, if I had the magic to fix it, why would I hide it? I wanted to make everyone smile again –”

Reiji  _ hmps!,  _ and the sound is enough to silence Yuuma. “You rewrote time for such a selfish reason, Tsukumo Yuuma, that it has effectively  _ stopped  _ time until we fix it. You are the first one to awaken: the other counterparts are at my house or with Yuuya’s mother. Yuzu and Sora said that they don’t remember what happened besides appearing in an alternate Academia. Did you know what timeline you were in when you were there?”

“No –”

“And you still tried to change it?”

“Yeah, but –”

Reiji flinches. “You are impulsive –”

“I was thinking on my feet!” Yuuma corrects. He sways on his feet, reaching out a hand to brace himself against Yuzu, only she isn’t there. She’s come around him to take Reira, who has fallen asleep in her brother’s arms. Yuzu takes her upstairs to where Yuuma now sees several of his friends peeking down from the attic.

“You are impulsive, Tsukumo, and I need to know  _ exactly  _ what you did so I can fix this.”

“But I already fixed it!” Yuuma wants to tug at his hair, and before he can process that thought he has to yank his hands away from his hair that he was tugging downwards. Everything feels hot and tight, like he’s been dunked in boiling water and he can’t relax. He’s burning and he can’t help himself. “I fixed the rewrite and I brought everyone back, and everyone is going to wake up!”

“And what if they don’t?”

Thinking on his feet, Yuuma snatches Yuuya’s hand and squeezes. Perhaps some magic surges between them, or maybe it’s just the connection between them that sparks something else, but Yuuya’s eyes shoot open at once. He gasps and coughs, chest rising in harsh, uneasy breaths. The fight is over: Yuuma drops down to Yuuya’s side, drawing his face towards him.

“Yuuya! Yuuya, look! I’m here!”

Yuuya nods, coughing behind a hand. His gaze lazily flicks side to side, but Yuuma bounces himself so he never leaves Yuuma’s vision. “You’re all right, Yuuya! You’re at my house, in my bed!” With a choked laugh, Yuuma says, “You woke up!”

Yuuya doesn’t say anything. When he’s stopped coughing, his bleary eyes gaze around the room, shifting between him and Reiji. Yuzu and Sora come down a moment later, crouching down before his bed to grab his fingers. He responds with a gentle smile, mouth twisting as he comes to. 

Minutes later, he speaks: “We’re back, aren’t we?”

“You’re home!” Yuuma says. He doesn’t hold himself back from crawling into bed with Yuuya, leaning over him so that he can always see his smile reflected in Yuuya’s ruby eyes. “What do you remember, Yuuya?”

“So much,” Yuuya tells him. “I remember … everything.” He looks to Yuuma, then to Sora and Yuzu. “We all went to Academia, and we fell into that place –”

“Pocket dimension!”

“And we found my counterparts, and we found Zarc, and …” Yuuma’s cheeks grow hot. “And then we woke up.”

Reiji swallows. “I need to speak with you, Yuuya – later though.”

Yuuya nods, eyebrows drawing close. Yuuma’s cheeks puff out. He knows he’s being left out of something, and that something definitely involves whatever happened. However, Yuuma can’t do much about it. What he  _ can  _ do is tell Yuuya that time has been fixed and stopped, and that they’re going to fix that too. It could be worse – it could be so, so much worse.

With his legs stronger, Yuuma pulls himself off Yuuya’s bed and heads towards the window. The world outside looks perfect – more than perfect, in fact. However, it’s still, and not in a way that makes Yuuma feel content. The world isn’t frozen like a statue: rather, Yuuma supposes Reiji should have said the world is stuck, as if it’s a video that keeps looping and cracking. The city gives violent flickers, parts of buildings disappearing and reappearing. It’s not dangerous for how worrying it appears, for there are still cars on the road and trains on the tracks.

The cities themselves are also closer. The tall highway roads snaked above parts of Academia and Maiami, and the Heartland Tower is so high that one could see the details of Leo Corporation’s massive monuments. Buildings that were once ages away are within view. The whole dimension has been drawn together by taking away the canals and rivers separating them. For the first time, Yuuma can properly look across the world and see the other cities.

Furthermore, he can spot a new city. The original dimension blends into most of Maiami and Heartland, but the distinct duel field is like the heart of the dimensions. From his room Yuuma can hear fans cheering and chanting the names of their favourite duelists. He wonders if he’ll ever be able to duel there and hear  _ his  _ name shouted to the clouds and stars. 

“We should be able to fix this,” Yuuma says, looking over his shoulder with a bright smile. “We’ve just got to unglitch the world.”

Yuuya’s eyebrows are drawn together. “The world is flickering, and …” He squints. “How is the world even going about its day?”

Yuuma peeks down his bedroom window. There are people walking down the streets, minding their own business. Then –  _ flick!  _ – they disappear, only to reappear moments later walking down the same route. The glitching is inconsistent, as sometimes the people make it further on their endlessly looping journey, but nonetheless they don’t stop repeating the same task they meant to do when first appeared.

“It’s not that bad,” Yuuma says. “The catch is that anyone we know was unaffected – like we granted them special immunity!”

At least, that’s what Yuuma hopes. His sister hasn’t been looping around the house trying to shove a thermometer into his mouth, so Yuuma can only suppose that those closest to him weren’t affected by the glitch. Yuuma thinks it must be because of his wish for everyone to remember: even if it didn’t work on everyone, it did affect those closest to him.

Sitting upright, Yuuya asks, “Do we rewrite time once again to fix it?”

“It’s already  _ fixed –” _

Reiji stands, features pinched tight. “I’m going to get some fresh air.”

Yuuya nods. “I’ll talk to you tonight.”

The moment Reiji is out of the room, Yuuma shoots a scathing look up to his friends peeking out of his room. They stick their heads back where they belong, out of sight but not out of hearing distance, and it’s enough that Yuuma knows he can crawl back in bed with Yuuya. The sheets of his bed are so unfamiliar; Yuuma would much rather spoon Yuuya in his hammock, adding the extra challenge of staying upright and not tipping them over. However, the moment Yuuma is in the bed Yuuya is already tugging him close and wrapping his legs around Yuuma’s.

“You should tell me what happened,” Yuuya says, eyes half-lidded either from sleep or elation. He looks just like when they kissed on the clouds, just as breathless and content. Yuuma had been worried Yuuya would be so scared about the glitching, and that Yuuya would side with  _ Reiji  _ that it was a bad idea. Yet Yuuya listens to him, nestling close so that their noses touch and their foreheads press together.

“I wished that we could all be together again – that was my wish when I used the Zexal power. Why it did this though … I don’t know. I guess I had to be more specific or else this would happen, but I was certain it would work.”

Yuuya nods. “You tried to put everything back the way it was.”

“Well yeah, I tried –”

“I didn’t know this would happen either.”

“Well, I didn’t mean to – wait.” Yuuma pauses, eyes narrowing. “You didn’t know this would happen either?”

“How could I?” Yuuya says. “Only Ray rewrote time, and it wasn’t like she told anyone about  _ her  _ wish when she set us in a different reality. Reiji … he’s just scared. This wasn’t what happened last time the dimensions came together, and from the sounds of things everyone hasn’t woken up yet. We shouldn’t be waiting to see how things go down – that would be waiting for trouble.” Yuuya pauses. “You thought I was mad, didn’t you?”

Yuuma’s cheeks grow red. “I did not!”

And Yuuya chuckles. It makes Yuuma’s cheeks grow hotter, enough that he’s certain Yuuya can feel the heat against his own cheeks. If Yuuma wasn’t feeling so embarrassed he’d probably crack a joke about having ‘tomato-red cheeks’, only he is so he leans back with his lips pursed tight.

“You’re making fun of me,” he says with his lips pushed out.

“I’m lightening up the mood,” Yuuya tells him, and he leans closer. “You did the same for me, didn’t you?”

The meagre words have a surprising effect on Yuuma: he stops pulling away from Yuuya, stops kicking the covers, stops trying to get away from his obvious embarrassment. His body stills for a solid two seconds – a feat on any day – before his eyes widen, mouth opens, and he shouts, “YOU NOTICED?”

The force of his words knocks Yuuya back, so that Yuuma can now clamber on top of Yuuya and push their foreheads together. “You – you’re doing the same for me now? For  _ me?  _ Yuuya!” The rest of his words are drowned out in giggles, laughs, and sighs caught between his hands. His legs squeeze round Yuuya’s hips.

“W-why wouldn’t I do that for you?” Yuuya says between breathless laughs. Each time Yuuma’s legs push on his hips, he giggles and jerks to the side. “You’re endlessly optimistic, and I’m going to pay you” – he bursts out laughing, throwing himself far to the side to knock Yuuma off him – “back.”

With Yuuma now next to him, Yuuya takes the chance to straddle him. Yuuma feels two legs settle against his lips, threatening to tickle him at any moment. Yuuya’s hands tease at the designs on his shirt, tracing the swirls with long, exaggerated movements. It’s an intimate moment considering Akari could come upstairs at any moment to check his temperature again and walk in on them on the bed; even more likely, Shark could pop his head downstairs and see them too. Yet it’s not a worry Yuuma has: he lets Yuuya sit on him and play with his shirt, breathing softly.

“I’m not mad,” Yuuya says after a moment. “And … and I’m not scared.”

“About time freezing?”

“About anything.” Yuuya lies his hands along Yuuma’s ribs; they rise and fall in time with his steady breaths. 

“Do you know what to do?” Yuuma asks. He isn’t sure what he  _ can  _ do, and Reiji’s harsh words make his stomach swirl. Yeah, Yuuma doesn’t know much about what happened in the past other than what Vector found on the Dark Web, and it might’ve been a bit of a stretch to wish for something so miraculous without thinking about the consequences. Yet it wasn’t Yuuma’s fault that he didn’t know – in fact, he was trying to make that very truth  _ known.  _ Yuuya knows though. Yuuya remembers everything from the many timelines he’s lived in.

“Do you know what happened?” Yuuma asks when Yuuya doesn’t respond.

“Hm?” Yuuya says.

“Reiji said I should’ve known more before I rewrote time. What … what  _ don’t  _ I know?”

“About Ray?” Yuuya says. “Or about Zarc? I don’t even know what timeline we’re in  _ now,  _ or how we affected this timeline so strangely. I’ll have to ask Reiji about this before I have a solid answer.” Smiling, Yuuya adds, “I’ll tell you sometime, OK?”

“Not now?” Yuuma says. “At least tell me about the girls.”

Yuuya opens his mouth, closes it, and repeats the motion several times. He looks like a fish out of water, especially when his cheeks keep puffing out. “You don’t know about them?”

“Vector only stalked the news about Entertainment dueling - I didn’t know that much about Ray, or her counterparts, or Yuzu …” Looking away, Yuuma blushes. “Reiji says I should’ve planned before I jumped in anything, but hey, it worked … ish.”

Soft laughs leap up Yuuya’s throat. He rolls off Yuuma so he can land among the plush covers, head supported by an arm. His other arm reaches out to tug Yuuma closer. “Yuzu and her counterparts are from the different dimensions too, and they’re like soldiers meant to keep me and my counterparts away from each other. She’s closer to her counterparts than I am to mine, though I don’t think she’ll tell you much about them even if you ask her. If you brought them back though, that means she’ll get to see them again.”

“And that’ll reset time, right?” Yuuma says. “We’ve just got to wake up all the girls and bring them together, and bring you and your counterparts together, and that’s that!” Grinning, Yuuma cheers. “One more time we’ve got to come together.”

If Shark were around, he might’ve said why try something that didn’t work the first time. If Vector were around, he’d say that a little havoc never hurt anyone. Yuuma doesn’t even think Reiji would  _ listen  _ to him after everything that’s happened. Yet Yuuya believes in him with a gentle smile, head resting against Yuuma’s hip. Something happened when they formed Zexal last time – something that remains in Yuuma’s mind as he nestles into the cover with Yuuya.

Despite everything that’s going on, everything that turned out so terribly wrong, Yuuma feels more at ease for the first time in months. With Yuuya, many more things seem possible.

With Yuuya, Yuuma will wake the world up and bring them all together. 


	27. Uh-Oh! The Glitch in the Dimensions!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> technically it's still Monday in my time zone, so this chapter isn't late ^^;;  
> chapter title card to come - i have a midterm exam and a 4k research paper due tomorrow, and i've spent a solid couple days preparing for both of those. i'll have the title card up soon though ^^
> 
> thank you so much for reading, everyone! we're on the final stretch of the due <3

Yuuma doesn’t wake up.

He doesn’t even get to sleep because the moment there is silence in the room Kotori peeks her head down and says, “Did you know we were _all_ up here listening to you giggle like a lovesick schoolgirl?”

Yuuma doesn’t have a good comeback, but his face is too red for Kotori to get away with that. He throws himself upright and snaps, “Well, you’re a schoolgirl too!”

It doesn’t have the same effect on her: Kotori’s brows pinch closed and her lips purse, and she says to him, “I honestly don’t even know what that means.” She doesn’t let him suffer in silence for long though. Once she climbs down the stairs, she tells him that he needs to go back to Maiami to fix what he’s broken.

Yuuma raises one eyebrow suspiciously. “And how do you know it’s broken?”

“Everything in this city is glitching – in all the cities, in fact! Your friend Hiiragi-chan told me all about it, about where you went and what you did. And while I want to tell you that you’re an idiot and you made some stupid choices, I also know you’re probably one of the only people in the world who can fix this. Guess I’ve got to believe in you for a bit longer, right?” She finishes with a smirk that would put Vector to shame, raising one green eyebrow. “Right?”

Yuuma blushes again, rubbing his neck from the compliment … or at least he thinks it’s a compliment. “I already know how to fix it – somehow! I’ve just gotta make another wish, maybe with more power, and this time I’ll put the world back in motion!”

From the bed there is a soft groan. Yuuya rises from within the blankets, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He’d fallen asleep after he and Yuuya had spoken, and despite Yuuma’s antics around the room, he’d managed to stay asleep through the racket. Now awake, his bleary eyes settle on Yuuma and Kotori. “If we wake up the girls, we’ll have enough strength to bring the world back together. After all, the world is probably unstable.”

“Unstable …?” Kotori murmurs.

Yuuma understands. “Like order and chaos,” he says. “You need both or else the world isn’t going to run smoothly. I guess we couldn’t just try to fix the world without them, even when Ray caused the mess in the first place.”

“Ray was trying to keep everyone alive,” Yuzu says from upstairs. She takes two steps down the ladder but does not descend, resting her hip along the cool metal. Despite Yuzu being his close friend, it hasn’t occurred to Yuuma until now that she’s Ray’s counterpart, and thus she should know about what happened or what is happening. Yuuma had already planned to go and find Reiji and the rest of Yuuya’s counterparts before he went to find the girls. It hadn’t occurred to Yuuma until this moment that Yuzu might be important to him and Yuuya and all of this.

That when he and Yuuya formed Zexal, Yuzu was glowing too.

“Where were you when Yuuya and I fell into that space portal?” Yuuma asks.

“I was there too,” Yuzu says.

“But you didn’t end up with Zarc and his counterparts, right?”

Yuzu shakes her head. “I didn’t wake up until I was back at Academia, and Sora and I called Shuuzou and then Reiji to get everyone home. I didn’t see anything until I was back there, but …” She bites her lip. “Whatever you did, you brought the counterparts back.”

“Everyone’s here then?” Yuuya asks.

Yuzu nods, and her teeth pierce her lip. “Everyone but Ray. She’s missing, perhaps because us girls weren’t together. If we’re going to get everyone together, we’ll need to find her first –”

“You can summon her!” Yuuma says. Two pairs of eyes lock on him, yet he doesn’t falter. “Yuuya’s counterparts all came together and formed Zarc, so wouldn’t the same happen for you? I … I can even use Zexal to bring you together if you think that’ll help! It helped Yuuya, so it should work for you too!”

But the suggestion only dips Yuzu’s lips down in a tight frown. “Yuuma, who knows if Ray is even alive, and if this will even _help_ us. For all we know, bringing Ray back will just mess up this timeline further. We can’t keeping guessing and playing around with time, especially if it’s going to have consequences like this.” She points out the window where the sky is patched blue and white from where it should have transitioned to the evening. “Until we fix this, we’ll have no way of going to class or duel school. We can’t make any more mistakes.”

Yuuma mumbles, “It’s not like I make mistakes intentionally,” but he cowes under her glare. He sighs. “Fine, Yuzu, I will not do anything stupid like I did. I’ll listen to you and Yuuya.”

She smiles. “The more we work together, the faster we’ll be able to fix this. No more rash behaviour.”

The peace sign Yuuma makes with his fingers doesn’t seem appropriate, but he does it anyways. A grin splits his cheeks, only fading when Yuzu climbs the rest of the way down the ladder to let Shark, Sora, and Kotori come down. They’ve all been eavesdropping – Yuuma knows by their sheepish expressions – but he keeps up his cheery attitude and tells them, “Are we _all_ coming?”

Shark shakes his head. “I’m going home.”

“But _Shark,”_ Yuuma whines, drawing out his name, “this will be so much fun!”

“Was the last trip you went on _fun,_ Yuuma?”

Yuuma nods. “Almost everything worked out in the end, so I’d count that as a successful trip!”

Shark shakes his head. “I’m not even going to waste my energy answering that.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets like the cool, only-one-year-older-than-Yuuma teenager that he is, and makes for the stairs leading down to the exit. Yuuma isn’t sure what it’ll be like for Shark to go somewhere that’s practically glitching and unsafe, so before Shark gets to the stairs Yuuma grabs his arm.

“Wait, Shark!”

Shark tries to tug his arm back, scowling. “Yuuma, I’m not going on a field trip with you!”

“It’s not a field trip!” Yuuma argues. “And if you listen, I have a message for you! I need you to tell Kaito something for me!”

He doesn’t get Shark to look at him, but his words are enough to stop him from falling down the stairs. Shark yanks his hand back and shoves it back in his pocket, turning away so that Yuuma can’t grab the same hand again. Yuuma rolls his eyes, but at Shark’s silence, he realises that he’s successfully stopped him.

“I need you to tell Kaito about this. Tell him that all the counterparts are back and the world is saved, and now we’ve just got to fix a lil’ glitch.”

Shark rolls his eyes. “You expect me to remember _that?”_

“Just tell Kaito that I’m going to fix the glitch then,” Yuuma says. “And I _will_ fix it because I’m the one who messed up in the first place. It can’t be that hard, can it?”

Shark doesn’t answer him, just shrugs and turns around. “I’m not your messenger, but for you I’ll pass this on – once. You get to explain to Kaito though about the stupid stunts you pulled with Haruto. I’m not saving you from that lecture.”

Yuuma chuckles and lets his posture drop. “Sure thing, Shark! See you!” For good measure, he grabs Shark from behind and squeezes him tightly. Before Shark can spin around and slug him one, Yuuma releases him. “Say hi to Kaito for me!” Shark doesn’t say anything this time, but Yuuma has a sneaking suspicion he knows what he would have said.

When Shark is gone, Yuuma spins around to face the others. “We should go find the others before anything else happens. Yuzu, you know where they are, right?”

“All at Yuuya’s house,” she says. “Yuuya’s mom is keeping an eye on them, and since duel school is closed my dad should be over there as well. I think my dad would’ve texted to tell me if anyone had woken up, but he hasn’t said anything besides good morning today.” She pockets her cell phone, eyes cloudy. “I guess we’ll have to wake them up when we get there.”

As Yuzu gathers her belongings and heads downstairs to thank Akari and Gran, Yuuma hurries over to Yuuya’s beside. Yuuya shifts himself towards the edge of the bed and dangles his legs over the mattress for several seconds. Yuuma remembers when he first tried to stand, and so he holds out his hands for Yuuya. After a moment, Yuuya takes them and pushes himself up. His legs buckle for a moment; instinctively, Yuuma pulls Yuuya’s arms.

“Almost fell,” Yuuma says with a chuckle.

Yuuya laughs, a soft sound in the back of his throat. “Zexal really takes it out of you.”

Yuuma nods, laughs again, and then lets his eyes travel to Yuuya’s shaking legs. He doesn’t look like he can stand, much less _walk,_ to his house, but when Yuuma brings up with concern, Yuuya shakes it off.

“I can walk,” he tells him.

Miraculously, he does. Yuzu returns with their jackets, and once they are down the stairs, Yuuya’s steps are much steadier. Akari meets them at the doorway, fussing over them even though Yuuma has travelled far greater and more dangerous distances before. She makes Yuuma promise that he will text her before he does something stupid so that she doesn’t have to get a call from Shuuzou saying her little brother threw himself off a balcony and travelled to an alternate dimension. Yuuma promises.

“I’ll still do it,” he tells her, “but I’ll tell you first. I’ll even make a video!” Holding up his hand like the lens of a video camera, he says, “This is Tsukumo Yuuma, Heartland’s best reporter, coming at you from an alternate dimension! That’s right, you heard it from here - I’m dimension hopping!”

Akari rolls her eyes before grabbing him in a tight hug. His sister’s hugs always threaten to break ribs, and this one is no different: Yuuma wriggles away only after he’s certain he’ll suffer permanent damage if she keeps squeezing him, and he pops up before her with a suggestive eyebrow raise. “Got away from you in time,” he teases.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Yuuma,” she tells him.

Yuuma feigns hurt, sticking out his bottom lip.  “Shark told me almost the same thing.”

“I side with him then.”

They laugh, and once Akari has hugged the rest of his friends, she lets them pass. Sora, Yuzu, and Yuuya thank her for letting them stay at her house, and Kotori promises her that she’ll keep a close eye on him and not let him do anything stupid.

When Yuuma steps outside, it’s as if he’s stepped into Sargasso. The air is stiff and frigid, stinging his cheeks and neck. Where there should be wind and heat is only minute pinpricks of warmth on his fingertips, and the gentlest of breezes blowing at his bangs. The day feels old, like someone forgot to flip a switch on the city and they’re now breathing stale air. This doesn’t begin to encompass how _empty_ the world feels as well: someone has vacuumed out the happiness and energy of the city, replacing it with flickering artificial lights and a darkening sky that can’t even keep to a regular colour. Each time the city flickers, Yuuma feels reality grindingly shift with it.

Beyond Yuuma’s front door is a world stuck in reality, trapped between many dimensions and happenings and beings that Yuuma once wished upon. The stars only fill half the sky, the rest speckled cerulean blue. The sun and moon both compete for space in the sky, and in the end both of them are swallowed by the darkness. Having the other dimensional cities gives enough light for Yuuma to see Academia and LDS and several bright stadiums. Now outside, the cheers from the Original Dimension’s stadium are garbled and disjointed, sounding more like pained cries than anything else.

It’s a horrid sight to behold. Yuuma swallows and the sound echoes down the deserted streets.

“It could be worse,” Yuuma mumbles. “The dimensions could have been destroyed.”

“That’s not heartwarming,” Kotori says.

They don’t see another person until they turn the corner onto the next street, where there are two people making their way towards the city centre. At least, they are trying to. Their gaits are interrupted by violent flickers that make their bodies disappear; when they reappear, their movements appear unsteady until Yuuma realises it’s because he can’t see them completing the action. The people on the streets are like old, broken computer software, glitching each time the city skips forward.

“Does that mean time hasn’t stopped entirely?” Yuuya asks. “If these people are still moving, reality isn’t frozen then.”

Yuzu nods. “Time is just … unstable. We need to get the dimensions back on the same track.”

Above them, the train jerks forward and stops, unable to keep a steady rhythm on the track. There isn’t a need to take the train to the other dimensions, but seeing it break down still upsets Yuuma. This wasn’t the reality he imagined when he reset time. This wasn’t the city he saw sitting atop the clouds with Yuuya.

To Yuuma’s surprise, Heartland doesn’t drop off into Maiami, harshly changing scenery from the merge. Rather, Heartland's bright, neon designs slowly become less over-the-top, fading into the colourful suburbs of Maiami. Because the change is gradual, Yuuma doesn’t even realise he’s crossed dimensions. One minute he’s looking at signs for a ramen shop, trying to place where in Heartland this shop should be, and the next minute he’s passing LDS.

Yuuma recognises this building anywhere: even in this alternate reality, LDS is one of the biggest, most prominent towers in Maiami. The duel school’s crisp courtyard and gardens are bare of students out practicing on their breaks. Each mirror on the building is murky and dark, like Yuuma is looking into a deep puddle.

“After we wake up everyone,” Yuuya says, “we should tell Reiji. He’ll want to know.”

Upon hearing Reiji’s name, Yuuma frowns. “Is he going to help us?”

Yuuya nods. “Reiji’s aloof, but he means well. He’s been helping me right from the start of things, back when I was hearing Zarc’s voice and I dimension-hopped even more, and back when I was with you and I was worried Entertainment dueling was affecting us again. I’d say he’s more worried than anyone else that this won’t end well.”

“He doesn’t believe in us?” Yuuya asks.

“He …” Yuuya bites his lip. “LDS was responsible for those dark Entertainment duels. LDS is aware that there are glitches and errors, and despite Reiji working his hardest to eliminate them, the point still stands that we duel using a system meant to slowly drive us into a competitive, desperate fight against ourselves. In the end, we’re fighting to outperform one another.

“Reiji knows more than most of us, but he wasn’t going to reset time to fix it. Maybe he thought if everyone was together it would be best for all of us – that what Ray did was really for the best and we should’ve trusted her. Maybe though he just thought this was for the best at the time, and that what we’ve done could have terrifying consequences. Reiji is cautious, believe it or not: he won’t make any decisions without a plan. I bet you gave him a real shock by saying that you just jumped on instinct. I don’t even know if I’d do that, to be honest.” Chuckling, Yuuya tugs him close. “But whatever we did isn’t the worst thing, I’ll tell you that. This world has seen far worse changes.”

Yuuma nods. Nestling against Yuuya’s shoulder, Yuuma asks, “What will it be like to meet your counterparts?”

Yuuya stiffens. “We haven’t been together – properly together – in so long. They all know me and Yuzu though, and maybe they’ll remember meeting you. I think they’ll be happy to be back. They might be a bit lost in Maiami, but we’ll let them know right away.”

“Yuzu!” Yuuma calls over his shoulder. “What’ll it be like to see your counterparts?”

Her conversation with Kotori is cut short; Yuzu’s breath hitches, and she doesn’t reply for a moment. Yuuma tries to look over his shoulder to check up on her when at last she speaks. “I’ve never been awake and together with all of them.”

“Ever?”

“Ever,” Yuzu repeats, voice low. “When we were all together, we were sacrificed to summon Ray. I’ve met Serena, but when I met Rin and Ruri I was either possessed or nearly-unconscious. It’ll be nice to finally meet them in person. I’ll have to text Shun and let him know his sister has returned, if he hasn’t already been alerted. In fact, he’ll want to see Yuuto too …” Her voice tapers off, and after a moment she laughs. “It’s sad to think that we all had to move on from them, and that now they’ll be back.”

“They weren’t forgotten,” Yuuya says. “Everyone who was there still had the memories of that war.”

Sensing the start of a grim conversation, Yuuma jumps in with, “You should tell me about your counterparts, Yuzu!”

Kotori chimes in with, “You never told me you had, um, _counterparts_ too.”

Yuzu shrugs. “I  didn’t get to meet them for long, but if you’re curious …” She clears her throat as if she’s going to begin a serious, in-depth monologue. “There’s Serena from Fusion, Rin from Synchro, and Ruri from Xyz. All of us have similar bangs, but other than that we’re quite different. Hm, how do I describe everyone …” Tapping her chin, she takes a moment to think. “I can’t.”

“I can –” Yuuya interrupts.

“You can’t just describe someone in a handful of words,” she says.

But Yuuya is already launching into his description, holding up each finger as he describes a girl. “Serena is serious, Rin is energetic, and Ruri is serene.”

Yuzu shakes her head. “Everyone is much more than one word, or even a handful of words, used to describe them.” To Yuuma and Kotori, she says, “You can’t know them until you meet them, but you’ll like them, I think. So long as nothing bad happened when they appeared here, they should be just how I remember seeing them before we all fused and became Ray.” To Yuuya, she chuckles. “And how would you describe me in one word, seeing as how you had no trouble with the other girls?”

Yuuya doesn’t miss a beat: “Encouraging.”

Yuzu blinks. Yuuma catches the surprise and confusion written across her face, and it takes her several seconds just to wake up from that shock. It takes a moment longer for her to answer oh-so-eloquently, “Oh.” Clearing her throat, she says, “Well, I’d hope so. Maestras lead operas.”

As the conversation clears away to gentle banter, Yuuma turns his focus to the streets. Maiami streets aren’t as familiar to him as Heartland’s roads, and since they hadn’t come by train Yuuma is quite lost. He spots shops that he doesn’t remember existing next to buildings he _does_ recognise – did the merging of the dimensions also  mix up the layouts of the cities? It wasn’t something Yuuma wished, but he supposes it could happen.

As if sensing Yuuma’s confusion, Yuuya stops talking to Kotori and Yuzu, and begins giving him directions to You Show. His pinched brows and pursed lips are signs Yuuya is a bit lost as well, but as they travel through the city he reminds Yuuma that he knows exactly where he’s going.

Until Yuzu tells him, “You’re going to get us lost, Yuuya. We’ve already walked down this street.”

Ears red, Yuuya whirls around. “We grew up here, so how come I can’t find my own house?”

“Maybe the suburbs have merged. I haven’t see anything familiar.”

“When I get lost,” Yuuma says, “I pretend I’m not looking for anything, and then I always find it by surprise. It gets rid of the pressure.”

Kotori tells him that that won’t work because she’s been lost with him more times than she cares to count, but by this point they’re all tired from walking and eager to get home. Yuuya takes a deep breath, stretches his arms above his head. For a moment, he remains tall and unwavering like a great tree. His only movements are the flitters of his eyes underneath his eyelids. When he does awaken and begin walking, it’s with a lazy gait. It’s feels like wandering more than serious travelling, but it’s the right feeling: if they’re not looking for Yuuya’s house, then surely they’ll spot it.

They do. Yuuma has only visited Yuuya’s house at night, so the house they stand before doesn’t look familiar. However, the woman who throws open the door the moment they start walking down the driveway is familiar. Yuuya’s mom has an unforgettable face, glassy green eyes and wild blond hair. She embraces her son in a hug before he can get any words out.

“Yuuya, there you are!”

But Yoko’s arms are those of an octopus, and before long she has Yuzu in her grip too. She only gives Kotori and Yuuma a second to run before she hugs them too, drawing all four children together in a tight, reassuring hug. It’s the type of hug that Yuuma remembers his father would give him before he climbed up a big mountain, or that his mother would give him when he had a bad day. It’s a hug that Akari replicates when she wants to tell him how she _truly_ feels.

Yoko’s hugs are the same. They’re vulnerable and memorable. None of the children break away until Yoko pulls them apart to get a proper look at them, eyes first falling on her son. She looks ready to lecture him, but at the last minute she cracks a bright smile reminiscent of Yuuya’s and beckons them inside. “You look _exhausted,_ come on inside! There’s snacks already at the table – please help yourself!”

The mention of snacks perks Yuuma up enough to hurry inside, followed by Yuuya. Kotori, who has never been anywhere in Maiami besides the stadium, hangs back until Yoko and Yuzu show her inside. The house is bright and airy, every window open to let in the bright sunshine. Yuuya’s house is perhaps the one place in all of the dimensions where it isn’t overcast and gloomy, and those specks of sunlight cast a cheery mood over the house.

Yoko is talking to them as they kick off their shoes and head inside the house, yet Yuuma’s mind is elsewhere. When he rounds the corner, her words sound like static in his ears.

Yuuya’s counterparts are at the table, facing across from Yuzu’s counterparts. Seeing eight similar faces turn to look at them sends a shiver down his spine. They’re alive and breathing, all looking surprisingly healthy after the events. At the front of the line are Yuuto and Ruri, leaning across the table to laugh at a joke Yuugo appears to be telling them. Rin is laughing along as well, jumping in to interject a fact Yuugo missed in the joke. Serena appears to be listening as well, though silently with her chin propped up by her hand. At the far end is Yuuri, a snake-eyed boy with a thin smile, who doesn’t look at anyone and who stirs his tea in large, lazy circles.

The counterparts look up from their conversation as they enter the room. They look confused at first, then surprised. Yuuma wonders what memories they might have, or if they’ll have memories at all –

“Yuuya!” Yuugo shouts from the table. “And Yuzu!”

Suddenly the conversation is on them. Yuuma feels Yuuya stiffen against him, and he gives his hand a gentle squeeze before Yuugo can trample them in a hug. Only, Yuugo doesn’t hug him, only pulls him towards where Yuuto and Yuuri are sitting, exclaiming, “He looks just like me, doesn’t he?”

“He looks like  _all of us,”_ Yuuto says.

Yuuri’s eyes narrow. “I would’ve thought that Fusion magic would’ve done a number to his pretty face, but alas, you’ve been spared.”

Across the room, Yuuma hears Rin and Ruri fiddling over Yuzu. Like Yuzu said, she and her counterparts have never properly met, so their conversations are hushed gasps as they finally meet. They greet each other with firm handshakes and hugs, learning each other’s names and faces. When Yuuma catches Kotori awkwardly standing to the side, unsure where she fits into this scenario, Yuuma pushes her towards the girls.

“Go introduce yourself. Tell them you’re from Heartland – they’ll be interested in you for sure.” As Yuuma catches the girls pulling out their cards, he adds, “Tell them you’re a duelist too!”

She looks a bit squashed under the loudness of the house and the three unfamiliar girls standing around Yuzu, but after a moment she squares her shoulders and approaches them with a bright smile.

Meanwhile, Yuuma heads over to meet the counterparts. The boys have their cards out too, fanning them out so that they can all examine one another’s decks. Yuuma jumps right into the conversation by spreading out his Extra Deck cards just to get their attention. Before any of them can ask about his deck, he proclaims, “I run Hopes, and I can just about Summon everything.”

The others look at his cards, eyes wide. Yuuma wonders if any of them have seen Hope cards before. He imagines all of them know of Xyz decks, and he knows that Yuuto is an Xyz duelist, but even he stares at the cards with his bottom lip pinched by his teeth. After a moment, he leans back and says, “You’re from that memory!”

“The pocket dimension!” Yuuma corrects. “Tsukumo Yuuma, Bringer of Hope and Smiles.”

Yuuto doesn’t take his hand; instead, Yuugo does, shaking it enthusiastically. Yuuma’s arm feels like jelly by the time Yuugo is done greeting him with a bright smile, telling him over and over again, “I totally thought it was a dream too! How’d you get into a dimension?”

Yuuma laughs. “Well, I was trying to fix them –”

“They’re broken?” Yuugo interrupts.

Yuuto swats at him. _“Listen,_ and he’ll answer your question.”

“– and I sorta … Well actually, I just jumped into a portal to a pocket dimension, which I’ve been in before, and then I met you guys. And then I tried to fix the dimensions by bringing us all together, but apparently we couldn’t do that without them” – he points behind him at the girls – “so now we’ve gotta try round two!”

Yuuri raises one thin eyebrow. “And that’ll work, Yuuma-kun?”

Yuuma gets a distinct, _strong_ Vector-vibe from Yuuri. He doesn’t announce it, but he swears it’ll be the first thing he tells Shark when he gets back home. “It should.”

“You don’t sound very sure of yourself,” Yuuri says, eyes glimmering like a predator who has caught its prey.

“I’m pretty sure,” Yuuma still says. “I’m as sure as I’m _going_ to be. If I just wish for it, it’ll come true.” To end his statement, Yuuma snakes an arm behind Yuuto to reach for the grapes on the table. He plucks several of them off the vine, popping them into his mouth like candies, and chews noisily.

“We’re going off a wish then?” Yuuto says.

“We’re going off _magic,”_ Yuuma corrects. “We just need to get all of us together, including the girls, and then we’ll use the power of Zexal to come together. What we need is a power strong enough to make a giant wish – a wish to bring us all together in peace, without sacrificing everyone.”

“We should go to LDS,” Yuuya says. “There’s more space for a summoning that powerful, and worst come to worst we’ll have someone nearby to help us.”

It’s not the cheeriest of sentiments, but Yuuma appreciates it nonetheless. While Yuuya calls Reiji and asks to use LDS’ Real Solid Vision system, Yuuma sneaks a peek at the girls standing together. Yuzu was correct in describing them all with similar bangs, but besides that Yuuma thinks they all look different. Serena is staring at them all, apprehensive and wary. Rin keeps jumping into the conversation to touch on every point made, excitement bubbling in her orange eyes. Next to her, Ruri watches with fascination as each of her counterparts speak up. Kotori looks like a double of Rin, perhaps only an inch or two shorter. She jumps into the conversation when the girls take out their decks and  fan their cards out for each other to see.

“You’re an Xyz duelist?” Yuuma hears them ask Kotori.

“Wow, I’ve never seen those cards before!”

“Oh, you have a light deck! Me too!”

“Mizuki-chan, we’ve got to duel sometime! Once this is over, we’ll have a proper duel!”

Moments later, Yuuya pockets his cell phone and joins back with them. His eyebrows are furrowed and his eyes narrowed. It’s an expression Yuuma knows well: Yuuya is worried. He tries to shake it off with a jittery laugh that rattles in his lungs, but his counterparts know just as well as Yuuma that something is amiss.

“We can try it,” Yuuya says, “but Reiji is worried that such magic won’t hold in the system –”

“How come?” Yuuma says. To his knowledge, any magic from the Parallel Worlds, including Real Solid Vision’s Action Duel system, should be able to support Zexal power. He and Astral formed Zexal in Heartland’s duel arena, a place that definitely wouldn’t have the same calibre of support as LDS’ dueling field. Nonetheless, Yuuma feels a pit of anxiety in his own stomach. When he and Astral formed Zexal, it was just the two of them …

“It will be fine,” Yuuma says. “Two people, eight people, what’s the difference? If we sit around worrying about it, we won’t get anywhere. We need to take action before something worse happens, and the best thing we can do right now is go to LDS and try out this magic. The worst thing that can happen is if we wait, right?”

For a moment, no one speaks. The girls quiet down to look over their shoulders at him.

Ruri speaks up first: “We don’t know if it’ll work?”

Next to her, Rin says, “We won’t know until we try!”

The phrase bubbles up from energy from the other girls. Turning to the other girls, Kotori tells them, “You need to have courage and believe in one another, and believe in me and Yuuma too.”

Yuzu echoes her sentiment. “Yuuma brought us all here, brought us all back to the world that was missing you. _I_ missed you. And though time is standing still and the world is a bit wonky, that doesn’t mean we’ve failed and that we ought to give up. No, we’re going to keep trying and persevering until the world is right, until there is a world with you all in it! I believe in Ray that the worlds should all be together, but I want to share my life with you. I want the world to remember us, all of us, and I won’t let go of that dream.”

Smiling, Serena holds out a hand. “I believe in the world with me.”

Rin bumps fists with her. “I believe in a world with you.”

Ruri holds her hand out. “I believe in a world with us.”

Yuuma can’t contain the excitement that bubbles within him. He grabs Yuuya and Yuugo’s hands, the two people closest to him, and lets out a cry of joy. It echoes through the house and out the door, to the glitching streets and warm sunshine, to the city still trying to move forward.

“We’ll go now!” Yuuma says. “We can go see Reiji, right?”

Yuuya nods. “Let’s do this!”

With another cheer, Yuuma dashes out the door. He doesn’t let go of Yuuya’s hand, just in case he might ever slip away again. Yuuya, likewise, holds onto Yuuto, who holds onto Yuugo, who grabs Yuuri by the back of his shirt and tugs him along for the ride. Yuuri has hold of Serena, who has hold of Kotori, who hangs onto Yuzu, who holds onto both Rin and Ruri with each of her hands. They form a chain of sorts, weaving through the streets unable to let go.

There isn’t a twinge of anxiety in Yuuma’s stomach. Those aren’t his counterparts and he’s not directly a part of whatever mess Yuuya might say he’s getting into, but Yuuma knows he’s responsible for the glitch he’s created.

He’s OK with it.

Yuuma doesn’t want to live in a world without Yuuya and Yuzu’s counterparts. Yuuma doesn’t want to live another day thinking that the world _forgot_ several people, erased their existences from the world but left the memories to dig craters into their loved ones’ hearts. Yuuma doesn’t want to live knowing that Yuuya and Yuzu had to move on without their counterparts, because he moved on knowing Astral left – had to leave – and he never forgot.

No one in Heartland forgot.

Already Yuuma can feel his soul twirling with Yuuto, Yuugo, and Yuuri. Already Yuuma can imagine being in connection with Yuuya and his counterparts, and with Yuzu and her counterparts. He imagines what it might be like to meet Ray and Zarc, properly, without the fear of the apocalypse on the horizon. What will it be like to stand before gods?

Yuuma isn’t scared. He holds tight to Yuuya and to the memories he won’t forget, and he takes a step forward.


	28. With You, With Me - A Wish to Bring Everyone Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more chapter!! see you next week for the finale <3

They don’t worry on the way to LDS. Yuuma makes sure of it. He fills the air with conversation, ignoring how the buildings give violent flickers, or how the Maiami citizens appear frozen in place before stumbling forward for a step or two. He ignores the uneasiness of everyone else and focuses on how to make light, breezy conversation.

“Tell me about your motorbike, Yuugo!” he asks.

Yuugo launches eagerly into a narrative about building his bike with Rin, which spawns into a detailed epic about how he met Rin, how they became friends, how they became  _ close  _ friends, and finally how they built the bike together and hoped to race it against the Tops in the Friendship Cup. From time to time Rin jumps in, mainly to correct when Yuugo’s story becomes a bit too haughty and farfetched, though she also shares her own sentiments as a Commons girl wanting to race alongside Yuugo in the Friendship Cup.

“You have a bike too?” Yuuma says.

“‘Course,” she says. “I wasn’t just fixing a bike for him. He could do that himself.”

Twiddling his fingers, Yuugo admits, “Guess I forgot to mention that part too.”

They laugh, and Rin goes on to explain her own bike. Yuuma remembers being on the D-Wheel with Yuuya, hugging him close and letting the wind – and later rain – chill him to the bone. It had been an exhilarating ride, so much different than riding on Duel Monsters which had previously been heart-pumping to Yuuma. Yuuma imagines a city where everyone rides around on motorcycles instead of pedal bikes, cars, or even heelies. He imagines  _ dueling  _ on those bikes, an even bigger treat, and with Real Solid Vision technology.

“Ah, that hasn’t come out yet,” Yuzu explains. “At least not in this timeline. But we had Action Duels in the Friendship Cup once, back when we were looking for Academia.” 

Yuuma nods, and then his eyes widen. “Wait, you were on a D-Wheel too?”

“Yeah –”

“Lucky!” Yuuma cries, drawing out the syllable and throwing his head back. He nearly collides with Ruri, who gently pushes his head forward with one finger, a playful smile tucked in the corner of her mouth. Yuuma blushes and leans forward, still wheeling over the thought. “You rode on a D-Wheel and never mentioned it  _ ever?” _

“I thought I did,” Yuzu says, “but to be fair, so much happened during that time I don’t think I’d be able to tell you everything in a single day.”

Rin laughs. “Even I wasn’t there for all of it and I’d have a hard time telling my story in one go.” Leaning her head to the side, she says, “So they don’t have D-Wheels everywhere … sad.”

“The cities were still coming to terms with being together,” Kotori explains. “Heartland was just getting Action Duel technology when Yuuma messed with the timelines –”

“For good reason,” Yuuma interrupts.

Yuuto catches onto the point though. “Even if the dimensions came together, it wasn’t like we were actually  _ harmonising.  _ We were just distant neighbors, set alongside one another but not interacting.”

“Correct,” Yuuya says. “Ray’s magic brought the physical dimensions together, but emotionally we were so distant from one another. Duel schools only existed in Maiami; D-Wheels were only found in City. The magic that was used couldn’t bring us together – I don’t even know if Zexal power can do that – so even if it closed the distance, in all honesty I felt more alone than ever.”

The mood dips into unease, the counterparts shivering as they try to imagine what the dimensions were like without them. Yuuma knows the feeling: when the Astral and Barian Worlds were fighting, those places were uneasy without them. Astral returned only because the merging of those worlds demanded he resume his position as a messenger; meanwhile, Shark and Rio were free to return back home and resume school, as the Barian World no longer needed a full-time king and queen.

Likewise, the dimensions didn’t need rulers, but they needed the counterparts to resume their lives. The connections made among them were shattered when Ray locked them away; Yuuya and Yuzu couldn’t bear everything that their other selves achieved. 

_ A dimension in which I don’t exist.  _

Yuuma won’t let anyone be forgotten. He won’t let anyone try to hold the world up by their tired shoulders, bear the burden of remembering who was lost in the battle. Yuuma will continue to fight to remember until the wheels of the world are rolling again, until everyone can heave a great sigh and laugh together, reminiscing at the memories they held tight to their hearts. Laughing and smiling with the counterparts towards the final path is a memory Yuuma never wants to forget.

At the gates to LDS, Yuuma takes a deep breath. The inky mirrors of the building swallow his reflection, piercing him with such murky depths. He squares his shoulders and flexes his fingers before tugging open the gates and stepping down the hallway.

Yuuya notes his stiff posture at once. “Ready?” he whispers.

“Ready,” Yuuma says. Then, spinning on his heels, he faces the others and says, “This is the last fight, the final frontier, and the beginning of a new dawn!”

Kotori and Yuzu chuckle at his cheesiness.

“Tomorrow,” Yuuma continues, “we’ll see each other off properly in our own dimensions. We’ll have more and more times together, never having to worry about when we’ll last see each other. There will be more no borders, no more secrets, no more fears of crossing over. We’re all different, but we belong together!”

“We’re not one – we’re together!” Yuuya says with a fist to the sky.

The counterparts echo his words and feelings, throwing their hands up to the air. Yuuma claps excitedly, face splitting in an eager grin. He spins on his heels and runs full-speed down the path to LDS, kicking up dust and dirt to whoever is unlucky to run behind him. 

At the door to LDS, Yuuma knocks once and then throws open the doors. They are on hinges and don’t give quite the dramatic effect he hoped for, but it nonetheless satisfies Yuuma when he can step through the doorway, followed by the counterparts and Kotori, and take a proper look around LDS. To his dismay, it’s exactly the same as when he visited the first time: there are no differences between this LDS and the one in the other reality. Yuuma had thought this area might’ve been affected, but besides being empty, Yuuma doesn’t see anything.

Before Yuuma can begin shouting and checking the rooms for someone, Reiji appears on the second floor. He looks grim, though Yuuma supposes he always looks that way. He greets them with a simple nod, but once he’s downstairs and facing them properly, he says hello to Yuuya and Yuzu. His eyes scan over the rest of the counterparts, perhaps counting to make sure they are all there. 

Then he looks at Yuuma. “You know what you are doing?”

“In a sense,” Yuuma says.

Yuuri echoes the sentiment: “He has no clue!”

“He has  _ some  _ clue,” Yuugo argues. “It’s just  _ hypothetical.” _

“Big word,” Serena says. She crosses her arms. “We’re just following what he says in the hopes that this resolves this mess, but if nothing else works at least the world works right for us.” 

It’s not a world Yuuma wants anyone to live in. Bringing the counterparts back wasn’t supposed to involve wrecking reality, and Yuuma is desperate and wishful enough to fix his mistakes.

“Don’t work, Akaba-kun! This will be fixed in no time! We just need your dueling field because it’s the biggest, and because …” Yuuma chuckles and rubs his head. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but the more energy you need, the more space you need, and your dueling fields are so cool!”

“We won’t break the duel system!” Yuuya tells him though. With a gentle sigh, Yuuya claps a hand on Reiji’s shoulder. “Thanks for doing this, Reiji-kun. I really appreciate it.”

For the first time, Yuuma sees Reiji smile and laugh. It’s not laugh, like a slight hitch in his shoulders and a twist of his lips. It’s like when Kaito laughs to Haruto, only Reiji seems to take them all in as well. “It’s really not a grand gesture,” he says.

“Your duel field will still be standing by the end of it!” Yuuma says with both thumbs up.

Reiji steels him with a glare that puts Kaito to shame, before his eyes soften and he laughs his jittery laugh again. “I’d hope so. You know where it is.”

Yuuma doesn’t, but Yuzu and Yuuya lead the pack up the stairs and down a hallway that Yuuma swears he’s been down before, though by this point everything is starting to look familiar. Without students in the corridors, LDS’ giant hallways and grand rooms give off a desolate, unnerving feel to them. It’s too quiet and empty. Yuuma hugs his arms and tries to talk as loud as he can, hoping the lonely feelings will disappear.

The duel rooms aren’t anywhere Yuuma thinks is accessible to students, yet Yuuya and Yuzu both explain to him that there are multiple duel rooms on each floor, so that classes don’t have to travel up as far as Yuuma thinks. The duel rooms Yuuya is heading towards are for first-year students: not only are they closest, but they are the biggest. First-year classes tend to be the largest, thus requiring multiple fields.

Again, Yuuya whispers to him, “Ready?”

This time, Yuuma bounces on the balls of his feet. “It’s showtime!”

Yuuya throws open the doors to the stadium.

LDS has both the money and the technology to afford something of such grandeur. Tall, floor-to-ceiling bars stretch up to a grated roof. No less than  _ six  _ Real Solid Vision disco-ball machines hang from the ceiling, already whirring away with a pleasant sound – a symphony to Yuuma’s ears. The floor is made of smooth, shiny glass that, as the Action Duel system activates, grows to green grass and flowers. It’s similar to the field Yuuma has dueled on at You Show, only the technology is better, the colours  _ brighter,  _ the world  _ livelier.  _ Up above their heads the ceiling gives way to a galactic spread showing four distant galaxies coming together. 

Yuuma takes a step onto the field. He can feel the grass sink underneath his shoes, and excitedly he kick them off so he can run barefooted on the grass. For a moment, he lets go of the mission and closes his eyes. The machines lulling whirs have faded away to the gentle sounds of the breeze running through his hair and caressing his cheeks. For a moment, Yuuma can imagine he isn’t dueling but standing on grassy plains outlooking a quaint valley. 

For a moment, Yuuma can imagine a different reality.

And then Serena asks him, “We gonna do this?”, echoed by Yuuri’s response of, “Someone’s head is in the clouds, hm?”

Blushing, Yuuma gathers the counterparts together. He lines everyone up in a circle, keeping them shoulder to shoulder. Kotori stands to the side, suddenly looking a bit unsure why she is here, until Yuuma tells her, “You’ve gotta take pictures of this! We’re gonna be famous!”

Over her shoulder, Yuzu says, “Believe in us, Kotori-chan!” and not since Alit asked Kotori out has Yuuma ever seen her cheeks blush ruby-red.

Once they are all together, Yuuma makes them take hands.

“This is embarrassing,” Serena says at once. “Why can’t we just stand together.”

“There’s probably a good reason,” Ruri tells her.

“And there is!” Letting go of Yuuya’s hand, Yuuma raises one finger to make a point. “We need to be connected. No matter what, don’t let go. With any luck, we should just form Zexal together, and then we all have to wish for the world to reset. We’re gonna make one more wish.”

Yuzu nods. “One wish.”

Yuuya smiles. “Together, we’ll make one more wish.”

With those hopeful words, Yuuma closes his eyes and imagines connecting. He hears the whir of the machines starting up the magic, the Zexal power drawing strength from the Action Duel technology. His soul touches Yuuya’s first, feeling out the familiarity. Yuuya’s soul is bright and cheery, like sunshine or summer afternoons. Yuuya is familiar to Yuuma in the way that their hands fit just right in one another, in the way that Yuuya let him into his live and into the lives of others. 

From Yuuya, Yuuma jumps to Yuuya’s counterparts. They’re so different from Yuuya that Yuuma can’t imagine ever mistaking them for one another, but perhaps he’s looking at them through a different light. Yuuma sees Yuuto’s peaceful soul, Yuugo’s energetic soul, and Yuuri’s tenacious soul, and he clings tight to each of them. True to their words, they connect with him.

The world jumps. Yuuma feels reality bend just a bit. The energy inside him snaps and thunders like a great beast wishing to break forth. As Yuuma connects with the counterparts, in one eye he sees Zarc appear. Yuuma doesn’t know why Zarc didn’t come back with everyone else, though now he wonders if, like Astral, Zarc will never be able to exist with his counterparts. Is the Original Dimension solely the foundation for the other dimensions, a stable base but unable to wholly exist on its own?

Zarc flickers at the edge of Yuuma’s vision, and desperately Yuuma hangs tight to the memories.  _ I won’t forget you,  _ he thinks.  _ We’re not one – we’re together! _

Next, Yuuma connects with Yuzu. She holds onto his other hand, a bit tighter than Yuuya. Yuuma can feel the anxiety bubbling in her gut. Yuuma eases the anxiety free from her soul before he connects with her. This time, he shocks himself: her soul is  _ strong,  _ burning-hot and fiery-red. He does not expect this coming from her; usually she’s mild-mannered, unless you get on her bad side, and then …

Yuuya chuckles and makes the connection.

He hears music, songbirds and lyrics that dance in his mind. There are so many colours before him that he can’t see her, but he follows her soul down the line to meet Serena, Ruri, and Rin. Meeting one’s soul is like remembering a precious memory without someone else: as Yuuma meets each counterparts, those with him meet them too. It’s a chain reaction of memories and moments forgotten during the rewrite and surface during the reconnect. Yuuma doesn’t let go for any of it.

For a second, Ray flickers in his vision. Unlike Zarc, who he’s seen in a dozen of Yuuya’s memories, Yuuma has never seen Ray before. She’s a goddess, twintailed red hair spilling over her shoulders, shadowed in a faint pink that appears on her cheeks and lips. She’s looks like his sister, in fact, if Akari were a dueling deity connected to four other girls and not a reporter. 

And then Ray  _ flickers,  _ only it’s not like Zarc who has continued to exist in Yuuma’s peripheral vision. Ray flickers and reappears as a girl with long, purple hair, a girl Yuuma has met in another reality.

Reira Akaba doesn’t look much like like Ray, but when he holds out his hand, the connection is made.

_ I won’t forget you,  _ Yuuma thinks.  _ I  _ didn’t  _ forget you.  _

The room buzzes, drowning in heavenly light that blinds his eyes and fills his lungs. Yuuma takes one more deep breath before he sinks down, feeling the connection spinning around him like Xyz materials. He has them all together now, standing before Zarc and Reira.

“I want to make a wish,” Yuuma says to them. Like marbles, he grabs the counterparts and holds them out to the gods. “These are my friends. I have memories with them, and they have memories with me, and mostly important they have memories with people back home. We all want to go back home to the dimensions that remember us, that  _ want  _ to remember us. 

“Zarc, you made a mistake by bringing the dimensions together as one. We’re not one – we’re together. We all exist as our own beings, just like you and Ray and Reira and me, and we can’t all come together like one mess. All the dimensions are their own, beautiful place, and I want to live in all of them. I want to hang out with Yuuya and Yuzu, and I want to meet their counterparts too!”

Yuuma turns to face Ray.

“Ray, you made a mistake by erasing the counterparts. It doesn’t matter if the dimensions come together if the people who make it special were forgotten. Yuuto, Yuugo, and Yuuri; and Ruri, Rin, and Serena are all important people with friends and families. Even if you kept those memories, you took away the many,  _ many  _ more that could be made. I don’t want to lose my friends. I brought my friends back home once, and I’ll do it again.”

The flowers and trees burst with magic. Yuuma feels the Zexal power grow within him, and he spreads his hands out wider, holding up the souls of his friends.

“These people are so important to me, and you can’t take away them or their memories. We all want to be in this world together.”

A wide grin splits over Zarc’s face. “And you want what? My blessing?”

Yuuma’s grin widens. “I want you to protect the dimensions we’ll all live in.”

“And me?” Ray says, raising an eyebrow.

“You too,” Yuuma tells her. “I want both of you to protect the dimensions you’ve worked so hard to build. These are your dreams too: the dream to be together, the dream to smile, the dream to remember. Those dreams have already come true, so you can’t break them now. More than ever, we need to stay strong.”

Yuuma’s hands close over the souls in his hands. He draws them close to his chest, smiling at the warmth over his heart. He can hear each and every one of their voices, talking to him, singing to him, connecting with him. Over the sound of the wind, Yuuma hears their voices clearly. 

“I wish we could all be together once again.”

The souls burst.

Zexal transformation with Yuuya always felt great. It was like waking up to a good hair day and coming downstairs for pancake breakfast. It’s finding out good news.

Zexal transformation with  _ eight other souls  _ is like waking up to your partner kissing your cheeks and telling you they made pancakes for you  _ in bed,  _ topped with whipped cream and strawberries. It’s finding out so much good news in a day that your cheeks hurt from smiling so much and you go to bed with a fluttery feeling in your heart, already knowing that the good feeling will stay well into tomorrow. Zexal transformation ignites every part of Yuuma that he can’t contain, and doesn’t even try to contain, the laughter that bubbles up his throat and spills from his mouth.

He shoots up into the dazzling galaxies and spins through the stars, glowing brighter than a supernova. His body sheds its skin to wear a tight, white suit that reflects every colour around him. There are bracelets on his arms and goggles on his head, boots with wheels attached to his feet. 

A rainbow path appears in the sky and Yuuma takes it, following it through stars and planets. He hears the counterparts laughing with him, their voices a melody that Yuuma can follow along to. As they jet along the path, dragons circle them, as big and bright as the stars guiding Yuuma around the galactic field.

With a deep sigh, Yuuma holds out his arms. When he opens his eyes, he’s riding the clouds atop the dimensional cities. Just like when he was with Yuuya, he can see the four main cities encircling the Original Dimension’s duel stadium. There aren’t many differences, but Yuuma  _ knows  _ this world is different. He knows that he’ll see Ruri and Yuuto around town, that Yuugo and Rin can ride their D-Wheels through the swerving highways, that Serena and Yuuri can be free from Academia.

This is a dimension where they exist. 

This time, Yuuma sits on the clouds with everyone. He looks behind him, to where Yuuya and his counterparts, and Yuzu and her counterparts, sit together. They look happy, smiling at the dimensions that have finally come together.

“No glitches,” Yuzu says with a laugh.

Yuuma nods. “No glitches.”

Rin bites her lip. “So do we just … go back?”

Yuuto echoes her apprehension. “How do we get back?”

“We’ll wake up,” Yuuma says. “The wish has already been made and the world has already been changed. One more rewrite … the last rewrite.” Yuuma squares his shoulders and heaves a deep sigh. “We worked hard to bring our world together.”

At Yuuma’s mention of waking up, both Yuugo and Yuuri had already put themselves asleep, falling back on the plush clouds. Ruri and Serena seem to understand what they’re doing, for a moment later both of them lie their heads back and close their eyes. The others soon follow, until it’s just Yuzu, Yuuya, and Yuuma standing on the clouds, watching the sun begin to dip down into the sky.

“You coming?” Yuzu asks.

Yuuya nods. “In a moment. I’ll catch up with you.”

The way Yuzu’s eyes twinkle and her lips curl into a smile makes Yuuma think she knows something is up, but she doesn’t say a word as she lies her head down and closes her eyes. When her chest rises in tune with the others lying among the clouds, she’s back with the others.

Yuuya turns to face him. His eyes are wet with unshed tears, hands threatening to come up and yank the goggles down. Yuuma takes his hands and, using his thumb, rubs gentle circles on the palms of Yuuya’s hands like Akari does for him when he cries. It doesn’t stop Yuuya from crying, but he leans into Yuuma and nestles his face into the dip of Yuuma’s neck.

“We did it,” he says, voice thick.

“We did our best,” Yuuma says. He squeezes Yuuya’s shoulders tight, and feels Yuuya shudder and then relax under his grip. “When we go back, everyone will be back, safe and sound. You’ll be with your counterparts again, together but not as one.” Yuuma pulls Yuuya back so he can see the unshed tears in his eyes and the blush on his cheeks and the bright,  _ radiant  _ smile.

Yuuya’s goggles aren’t covering his shimmering eyes.

“We did it!” Yuuma says. 

They hug once more, their legs slowly bringing them to the ground. Yuuma feels his eyelids grow heavy, and Yuuya’s arms around his waist are comforting. He closes his eyes and focuses on his steady heartbeat, and before he knows it he can hear many more voices and he can feel hands shaking him awake.

Yuuma comes to with a yawn, eyes fluttering open. They’re still in Maiami, on the dueling field where Yuuma formed Zexal with all the counterparts, only there’s a feeling in the air that time hasn’t stopped. The counterparts sit along the wall, chatting with Kotori, Reiji, and Reira. Upon seeing Reira, Yuuma’s eyes widen –  _ is that Ray?  _ But it isn’t, for when Reira looks back at him, he’s smiling a big, wide smile, and Yuuma  _ knows  _ it’s his student Akaba Reira.

“You’re awake!”

Kotori runs towards him at once. Instead of tackling him, as he would have done to her, she falls to her knees before him, the impact of her fall echoing around the room. She shakes him awake until his eyes are all the way open, calling to him, “Yuuma! Yuuma, are you awake?”

“‘M awake,” he says, swatting at her hands. With a burst of energy, he sits upright and laughs. “Of course I’m awake!”

And then she’s hugging him, arms desperate to squeeze the life back out of him it seems. “You’re a real idiot sometimes, you know that? You really, truly are.”

“And I’m still alive!” 

She leans back so that she can stare properly into his eyes. She looks like Akari with the way she purses her lips and scrunches up her eyebrows, looking much older than his middle-school classmate who has been to the edges of the world and back with him. “Don’t push your luck, Yuuma. But” – and here she laughs, a soft sound under her breath – “I’m glad you’re OK.”

“Of course I’m OK!” Yuuma tells her. He does a quick check at the counterparts sitting along the wall, all who are now looking at him with varying degrees of confusion and worry. Yuuma wonders how much they remember, or understood, of the Zexal transformation. They all look unharmed, a fact that eases the tension in Yuuma’s heart. He knew it would work, but he is reluctant to admit he didn’t know the precise outcome of his idea. However, everyone came back safe and sound. Everyone is awake, the world is safe once more –

A hand snakes its way into his.

Yuuma screams out of shock, and the sound is enough to shoot Yuuya up from his rest next to him. He yanks his hand free, gasps, and then laughs in amusement. “Shocked ya, didn’t I?”

“I thought you were still sleeping,” Yuuma says with a pout. 

Yuuya just keeps laughing. 

With a heave, Yuuma jumps to his feet. The first step is unsteady, and Kotori doesn’t fail to remind him that he’s been unconscious for an hour and he shouldn’t be overexerting himself. He brushes off her concern and holds out a hand to Yuuya. “Come on, let’s go meet the others.”

In that moment, Yuuma swears there are stars in Yuuya’s eyes.

He pulls Yuuya to his feet, bracing himself against Kotori who insists that he sit down when he gets over there. Yuuya stumbles a bit as well; from across the room, Yuzu shouts to them, “Be careful!” Once they both catch their balance, they feel good as new. Yuuma entwines his fingers in Yuuya’s hand, and together they make their way towards the other counterparts. None of them look harmed. Other that residual lines of tension on their faces, they look quite content. Reiji is going over living accommodations and other important, real-life details with them when Yuuma makes it over.

Reiji gives him a one-over before simply stating, “It worked.”

“‘Course it worked!” Yuuma says. “Zexal power has the ability to make miracles.”

“And so it does.” Reiji inclines his head to the counterparts along the wall. “Yuuya, I’ve already prepared homes for them to sleep in, and enrolled them in duel school. With any luck, the dimensions will continue on with six new faces.”

Yuugo laughs. “We have to go back to school to learn everything we already know.”

Rin pokes him on the shoulder. “You still have a few things to learn, Yuugo.”

At the end of the line, Yuzu speaks up. “Yuuya, you should take a look outside when you get the chance. The dimensions are all together again, no longer frozen in time. There’s duel schools everywhere too, including the Four Suit dueling school in Heartland. When Ray and Zarc fixed time, they really did turn the world back to the way it was meant to be.”

“And the dimensions are still fused together?”

“Even better than before,” Serena tells him. “You got two stubborn deities to work together, and it paid off.”

“I want to go see it then,” Yuuma interrupts. “I want to see the dimensions.”

What Yuuma expects is Kotori to tell him he needs to rest longer, or for the counterparts to begin telling him more about the changes. What Yuuma doesn’t expect is Reiji to set a ring of keys in his hand. “Yuuma drives,” he says, “but do try to enjoy the trip.”

Yuuma frowns, twirls the keys in his fingers, and then his eyes widen. “We’re going on a motorbike, aren’t we?” he shouts. Turning  to Yuuya, he shakes the keys in his faces. “Yuuya, we’re going on a bike ride!”

Yuuya is already ahead of him though, pulling him towards the door. They hurry out the door and down the stairs, back through the hallways that are brighter and livelier. This time, they pass students in the corridors, who are either going to class or hanging out between lessons. Yuuma tries to pay attention to everything in his vision, but it’s impossible. There are new pictures of famous duelists, new paintings of a boy and his dragons and a girl holding the powers of the world. In the centre of the lobby there is a statue too, standing at least twenty feet tall, and depicting a beautiful girl holding her arm up to the sky. There are four distinct bracelets running down her arm, only –

It’s Reira.

Yuuma feels his heart thump in his chest.  _ This is the reality I want to live in. This is the future I want to see. _

He throws open the doors to a city brimming with life. There are people walking in the streets and cars on the roads, all moving at proper speeds. The bright sun shines down on the colourful city of Maiami. To one side Yuuma can see the blue sea on which the duel stadium floats; to the other side Yuuma can see Heartland, the buildings of Maiami melding into more neon-bright colours. Yuuma’s home looks just like he remembers it: lively and futuristic, with buildings defying gravity and logic. Heartland Tower is visible above all else, a pinnacle of hope that makes Yuuma’s heart flutter.

The Original Dimension’s duel stadium is to the side of Heartland, the one remaining structure from Zarc’s world. Even from Maiami Yuuma can hear the cheers and laughs of the fans enjoying an Entertainment duel, one that Yuuma is certain will no longer bring pressure and pain to duelists. No longer will duelists suffer trying to please an unsatiated audience. 

The Synchro Dimension is even visible! Yuuma points out the vast highways that circle the outskirts of the City, sweeping above parts of Heartland and Fusion. Yuuma can imagine feeling the breeze on his cheeks as he rides on the D-Wheel, arms clinging to Yuuya’s waist. There’s a duel stadium there too, one that Yuuma plans to check out in the future.

In the corner of his vision is Academia. Yuuma turns his head to a city shimmering under the sun. At one point in time, Yuuma might  have been scared to venture into Academia, a city where child soldiers were trained to erase the existence of the other dimensions. Now, Yuuma imagines a new future for Academia: a prestigious duel school dating back to the days of legendary Yuuki Juudai. The white stone of the buildings glows with a new hope; across the water, Yuuma can imagine many future precious moments. 

Seeing all the dimensions together brings a laugh up his throat, until Yuuma is giggling to the sky, eyes closed and hand tight in Yuuya’s.

“We did it,” he hears Yuuya say. 

They hurry down the steps, past the courtyard where young duelists are practicing Summoning methods. Yuuma sees Masumi with several students, showing them how she holds her body when she draws, and he waves at her.

“Good to see you!” she calls out.

Outside of LDS, Yuuma spots the bike at once. It’s parked along the curb, a crimson beast with pulsing, yellow lights on the inside of the tires. The bike is slim and meant for speed, and Yuuya and Yuuma barely fit onto the seat. Yuuma sits up on the back, legs hugging the slim metal protecting the motor. When Yuuya starts up the bike, the engine only makes a gentle purr.

“This was my bike when I competed in the Friendship Cup in City,” Yuuya says. “I guess it came back when the dimensions reset, and Reiji got it for me.” He revs the engine, and suddenly the purr is a roar. “Ready?”

“Ready!”

The bike jolts forward. Yuuma slips down to squish on the single seat with Yuuya, realising that this isn’t meant to hold two people, but that sitting on top will not keep him on the bike. His arms wrap around Yuuya as they take off down the street, gaining speed with every second. Soon the buildings become coloured blurs in Yuuma’s vision; Yuuya weaves the bike through slower traffic until they are on a highway that shoots them up to the sky.

There are highways connecting the cities together. From this height Yuuma can see a bird’s eye view of the dimensional cities. Riding above Maiami is like looking down at a board game and spotting the coloured tiles: the city fits together like a jigsaw puzzle. The highway takes them past the Original Dimension and onto a pathway that intersects with roads coming from the cities.

“Did this replace the train?” Yuuma asks.

Yuuya shakes his head. “You can still see the tracks down there.”

Yuuma squints until he can see what Yuuya is referring to. Sure enough, he can see the train passing through the cities. Now that it doesn’t have to travel across the rivers, it will cut time significantly. Not to mention that Yuuma realises there are roads travelling through the cities as well, so he can simply walk into Maiami in a matter of minutes.

“They really did bring us all together,” Yuuma says with a laugh. 

At the top of the speedway, Yuuma can see every part of the dimensions. The cities blur into each other, both their own distinct nations as well as part of a greater whole. They’re different, together without becoming one. Each city looks different from one another, yet they all come together through a network of trains and roads. Looking out over the cities, Yuuma feels a sense of pride well up in him. He’ll be able to see everyone, no longer having to worry about long train rides.

“Do you think everyone remembers?” Yuuma says.

“Remembers what?” Yuuya says.

“The wars. Ray and Zarc were supposed to leave the memories alone.”

Yuuya takes a long look at the cities before he responds. “I think so. These cities are still together because of hard work and perseverance. We’re together again because we  _ wished  _ for it to happen, and that isn’t possible unless we learn from mistakes, right?”

Yuuma nods in agreement. 

Yuuya turns the bike towards Heartland, dipping down into the neighbouring city. The ride down is fast and furious as the speedway rockets towards the ground. The bike’s tires grip tight to the pavement as they dive down, only levelling out at the last second and sparing them from a crash – and then they’re in the centre of Heartland, weaving through dense traffic and between neon-coloured cars. The bright lights and loud sounds are familiar to Yuuma’s ears. 

Yuuya takes them out of the city and into the suburbs, away from some of the noise. The streets are just as familiar to Yuuma, appearing untouched. Nonetheless, they seem … brighter, as if a fog has been cleared from the dimensions. 

They park outside Yuuma’s house, next to Akari’s bike, and before Yuuma is even at the gate Akari has thrown open the door and bolted down the stairs. She launches herself at him, and it takes Yuuma’s mind a few moments to register that she’s hugging him, perhaps even squeezing the dear life out of him. Unlike when she greeted him last time with a thermometer and a sassy remark, this time she simply hugs him tight and murmurs unintelligible words in his shoulder.

“Sis, sis, I’m fine!” he says, patting her shoulder. “Everything’s all better now.”

She lifts her head from his shoulder, just enough so that he can clearly hear her say, “You are such a dork.”

He pulls back. “Hey!”

Akari doesn’t let him go. She squeezes him tighter until he is gasping for air, and only then does she let him go. “You are such a dork, Tsukumo Yuuma. Why are you always trying to save the world? I am sure there are plenty of qualified professionals risking their lives who would love the adventure.”

“Because,” Yuuma says, holding up a finger, “I do it better.”

Akari rolls her eyes. “Come on then, let’s get something to eat. I may not approve of everything you do, but I still want to hear about this.” She motions for him to come in. When Yuuma only moves, she raises an eyebrow. “Yuuya-kun, isn’t it? Aren’t you coming in too? Or does my little brother need to hold your hand and walk you in?”

Her words make Yuuya blush crimson, and he hurries up the stairs after Yuuma. Inside, Akari sets them up with tea and cookies, claiming that she wasn’t sure when Yuuma would be returning home and that’s why there are no rice balls in the fridge. Yuuma pouts until Akari tells them she’ll make them for everyone.

“Everyone?” Yuuma echoes.

“The look-alikes,” she says. “You should invite them over.”

For a moment, Yuuma is unsure what Akari means. Then he gapes at her, open mouth filled with cookie, and exclaims, “How come you know about the counterparts?”

“Mouth closed, Yuuma! You are eating!” she chastises. When Yuuma’s mouth is closed, she answers, “It’s in the news. Here.”

She pushes her tablet towards them, upon which is the Heartland daily news. In large, block letters is the front page’s heading: MYSTERY OF THE UNITED DIMENSIONS FOUND WITH SIX MISSING CHILDREN. 

“There’s no more secrets,” Yuuma whispers. He points at the caption, fingers shaking in excitement. “Yuuya, there’s no more secrets! The dimensions all know what happened, like it says right here! It’s all here in fact!” His eyes scan down the document, picking out the names Zarc and Ray, picking out paragraphs that describe the magic that sealed away six children who were considered counterparts to Entertainment duelists Sakaki Yuuya and Hiiragi Yuzu. There’s a paragraph about the Akabas and their Real Solid Vision that took a nasty spin, but not without an accompanying paragraph about how Akaba Reiji found the solution to the effect of the pressure to perform.

There’s a section about Akaba Reira, who was once the living host of his half-sister Ray, a fact that had gone over Yuuma’s head until recently. There’s a story about the creation of Pendulum dueling, about Zexal power. There are titles of history books that would give even more information that this front-page article, but seeing this much information accessible to the world already has Yuuma over the moon.

“Everyone remembers,” Yuuma says, pushing the tablet to Yuuya. “Everyone remembers and no one’s upset. The secrets are out and the world didn’t implode on itself like you were worried it might.”

“I’m glad it didn’t,” Akari says. She leans forward on the counter, sighing. “I can’t tell you not do any more stupid things, Yuuma, but for the love of all gods please don’t keep secrets from me. I’m going to call you an idiot either way; you might as well tell me so I can  _ help  _ you, like I helped you here.”

“Helped me …? This is  _ your  _ article?” His words come out as a squeak, and Akari laughs at him.

“Of course it is. Your big sis wanted to get the best scoop on this story.”

Yuuma doesn’t have words to express the joy in his heart, the bubbling feelings inside of him that make his legs bounce and his body shake. He feels as light as a feather as he sits with his sister and his boyfriend, sharing snacks and telling stories. Akari wants to hear every detail of the adventures he’s gone on, even the ones that make her cringe or roll her eyes. She wants to know anything and everything, not because she’s going to write a story for the news, but because Yuuma knows she cares.

Yuuma cares too. He wants no more secrets in his life, no more lies, and no more mysteries. He wants to live among his friends and family. No longer will Yuuma have to worry about train rides or skipping class. No longer will Yuuma have to hide anything.

He’s done it.

Yuuma thinks to himself,  _ This is a world in which we we all exist,  _ and he could feel no happier. 


	29. Egaobingu & Kattobingu! - I'm Here With You

(art by [fluffymoe](http://fluffymoe.tumblr.com/) and posted with permission - please check out her other art pieces [here](http://fluffymoe.tumblr.com/tagged/thunder-png)!)

Akari cares so much that it takes him three hours to tell her all about his adventures. She listens, enraptured, but she can’t hold her tongue when certain details make her leap from her chair, ready to strangle him. The words are already out of her mouth: “You did  _ what?  _ Are you an idiot?”

“I’m not an idiot, and let me finish the story!”

She does let him finish though, and by the time he’s done they’ve drunk more tea than Yuuma cares to imagine. His legs are sore from being tucked underneath him, and so he stretches himself out and yawns loudly at the dinner table, even when Akari berates him for his terrible table manners. She herself looks tired, like the story has aged her several years. However, she doesn't comment on the story once Yuuma is done. She collects their empty tea cups and brings them to the counter to wash, back turned to them.

Then she speaks: “Everything is fixed now?”

“Everything,” Yuuma says. “This is the reality we’re meant to be living in, and everyone is now a part of it.”

“And this didn’t have any dire consequences on anyone?”

Yuuma shakes his head. “Some of us remember the glitch, but that secret is out anyways. My name is going to be in the history books, Sis, as the Kattobingu King, alongside the Egao Entertainer.” He swings an arm around Yuuya’s shoulder and tugs him close. “People will be lining up for my autograph, just you wait and see!”

“Or,” Akari says, raising a finger, “people will be coming to our door demanding answers, and several hundreds fantheories will be up on the internet before either of us can sort out this mess. You might’ve given the world answers, but people will still cling to their precious beliefs.”

“Sucks to be them then,” is all Yuuma can think to say. He stretches forward on the table, arms reaching for the other side. He can’t see his sister’s expression and it  _ bothers  _ him. What is she thinking? Is she happy or sad or mad? Yuuma has been truthful with her, so the least she can do is be honest about her own feelings.

“Sis, you’re being too quiet,” Yuuma says. “If you’re mad, you should just say it.”

“I’m not mad, Yuuma.” Her voice is quiet, choked. It catches in her throat.

“Are you happy then?”

Akari doesn’t answer.

Pushing himself off from the table, Yuuma circles it so he can stand behind his sister. She looks vulnerable with her back to him and her head bowed. Yuuma can’t hear her sniffling and crying, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t overwhelmed with sadness. Carefully, Yuuma leans his head into the small of his sister’s back, pushing into her. When he was little, he used to headbutt his sister as a sign of affection; to this day, Yuuma still thinks it works.

“Are you sad, Sis?”

“No, silly,” she whispers.

“I’m glad I can be in this reality with you,” Yuuma tells her. “The dimension with my sister, with my family and my friends … I didn’t have to lose anyone.”

“You’re a sap.”

Yuuma chuckles against his sister’s spine. “I’m  _ sentimental.” _

Akari spins around, but before Yuuma can get a proper look at her face to see if it’s flushed and wet with tears, Akari turns him around as well. She gives him a push towards the door, saying, “Kaito called after you, and I think he needs to talk to you about something. I’d listen to him if I were you.”

Yuuma doesn’t turn around. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll melt his old heart too! See ya, Sis!” Yuuma tugs Yuuya off his seat at the table, and he leads him out the door towards Kaito’s house. Yuuma is thankful Heartland Tower is so big or else he might’ve felt lost in the reconstructed dimension. The streets are the same and the dimensional layout should be similar minus the rivers and distinct divisions separating the cities, but Yuuma still feels that this reality is vastly different from the reality without the counterparts.

As soon as Yuuma is out the door, he spins on Yuuya. “You could see my sis’ face when we left – was she crying?”

Yuuya chuckles. “It’s a secret,” he singsongs.

His mouth twists into a pout. “No more secrets.” Quieter, Yuuma says, “And that means she was crying. I knew it.”

Yuuya just keeps laughing. When they’re out on the streets, Yuuya unclicks his heelies. Yuuma follows suit, already knowing what’s going to happen. 

Only he doesn’t. Yuuya takes his hands so that they are facing each other, and in a side-to-side motion begins to skate backwards. Yuuya’s swaying keeps up the momentum to push him backwards; he pulls Yuuma forward, who skates to match Yuuya’s pace. 

“Make sure I don’t crash into anything,” Yuuya says.

“I will.”

The streets are busy enough that Yuuma has to guide Yuuya to the side when bikes try to pass then, but they keep up the pace. Kaito’s house in Heartland Tower is still in a busy area of town, but even with the congested streets Yuuya still manages to skate backwards until the end. His eyes never leave Yuuma’s, reading him as if he’s trying to remember every minute detail on Yuuma’s face. When Yuuma asks him why he’s staring so intently – “Is there something stuck on my face?” – Yuuya just laughs, and, playfully, flicks his cheeks.

They click their heelies back in at the doorstep to Heartland Tower. The lower level is busy with people waiting in the lobby and receptionists taking questions and queries. Yuuma knows the way up to Kaito’s, and he is waved through the staff area and up into the elevator. Yuuya, who has never been here, looks around with rapt interest.

“It’s like LDS,” he muses.

“Kaito’s like Reiji, only older, married, and grumpier,” Yuuma jokes. “But he’ll be happy to know I came back in one piece. Kaito sent me to the Astral World once – he won’t be surprised to know I jumped off a balcony.”

Once they are through the elevator, Yuuma heads towards the laboratory. Unsurprisingly, when he opens the door Kaito is at the wooden table examining one of the Real Solid Vision’s disco ball machines. He looks up when Yuuma and Yuuya enter, mouth hanging slightly open. At the bookshelf is Chris, who greets them first.

“Yuuma, good morning!”

“Hiya, Chris! Hiya, Kaito!”

Kaito clears his throat. “Morning. Who’s with you?”

Yuuma gives Yuuya a push forward so that Chris can see who he’s brought along too. “This is Sakaki Yuuya, my best friend and the co-saviour of the dimensions!” Yuuma claps him on the shoulder again. “He’s the pioneer of Pendulum dueling!”

“Hmm,” is all Kaito says. He pushes himself up from the table, looking far too tired at midmorning hours. “Have you come to tell us about the stunts you pulled saving the world again?”

“Don’t you already know about those?” Yuuma chuckles. “Akari wrote a big piece in the news, and I’m sure you’ve already heard from everyone. Shark came and told you, didn’t he?”

Having now made his way back from the bookcase, Chris muffles a laugh in his fist. “Told is one way of putting it,” he muses. “He quite noisily barged into this laboratory and told us, and I quote, ‘Yuuma is an idiot who almost killed himself trying to save the dimensions, but he’s alive and will be back to tell you about his fateful adventure.’”

“I  _ almost  _ died,” Yuuma says. “Besides, it’s not like you haven’t done the same thing,  _ Kaito.” _

At this, Kaito’s cheeks grow red and he looks away. “Well, foolishness pays off, I guess. Thanks for fixing your mistakes, since we wouldn’t want time to be frozen and the dimensions to be glitching. And you brought six other people back and rewrote history to a time when everyone remembers Entertainment dueling and isn’t afraid to duel with a smile.” 

Kaito pushes the Real Solid Vision system towards them. Yuuma has only seen one up close a handful of times, but as he stares at the black metal and twirling wires, something seems to click within his mind. He looks up, startled. “You … you know how to  _ fix  _ this?”

“You rewrote time so that LDS’ technology wasn’t a mystery to the world. Real Solid Vision has been safely marketed to all schools, stadiums, and duel schools across the dimensions. We don’t need to worry about glitchy systems anymore because there are no more secrets. There are even duel schools in Heartland, believe it or not.”

Chris comes to stand next to Kaito, setting a hand on his partner’s shoulder. “Yuuma, your decision didn’t just rewrite time to when the counterparts could exist. You rewrote time so that Entertainment dueling swept the world by storm, LDS became a partner company with the dimensions, and dueling history as we know it was reimagined. We live in a timeline where duelists smile and laugh, and where there is no pressure to perform. No major glitches, and if anything does go wrong we have the technology and know-how to fix it.”

Yuuma feels his heart flutter in his chest. “A reality where we can all smile.”

Chris and Kaito nod. 

“Your wish brought the dimensions back together.”

And for a moment, Yuuma just lets the words sink in. He’s saved the dimensions. His wish – and the wish of the counterparts – brought life to a world where everyone duels for fun, where there are no secrets or mysteries. Yuuma reimagined a world of peace and prosperity where he and his friends could duel and learn alongside one another. 

“Does that mean there are Entertainment duel schools here?” Yuuma asks.

Kaito nods. “The Four Suit duel schools were created by Entertainment duelists. I think the Spade Branch is closest to us, but you’ll be able to go to any of them. They specialise in Entertainment Xyz dueling, and they’re rumoured to be the best school for pro-level duelists.”

“That’s Yuuto’s duel school,” Yuuya says. “He’ll be happy to know that he can duel and teach there. But …” Yuuya looks down at his feet. “Will you go to that duel school too?”

Yuuma shakes his head. “I travelled just to go to You Show, and now that the dimensions are closer I’ll be able to go to school  _ and teach!”  _ Yuuya’s cheeks grow tomato-red at that, and he looks away at the Solid Vision technology on the table. Yuuma notes how Yuuya’s eyes are clouded, as if he’s trying to process everything that the wish has achieved. It’s a lot. Yuuma hadn’t imagined that he could change so much of the world, though he assumes that was why he needed the strength of all the counterparts. The world they wished for though is more wonderful than anything Yuuma could’ve possibly imagined. 

A quiet cough shakes Yuuma from his musing. Kaito holds out a card for him, looking at bit insistent when Yuuma doesn’t take it at once. “This isn’t a card I will ever use, so you might as well have it. Having the dimensions fuse together brought up a whole bunch of new cards, and this … Well, it belong in your deck.”

Yuuma snatches up the card at once. A Hope card – a  _ Pendulum  _ Hope card. Hope Shining looks like a Hope that rolled around in glitter glue that caught in the ridges of its armor: the monster has galaxies printed across its surface, looking like it jumped out of the sky and caught the stars on its body. It’s a Scale 4 Pendulum monster, which doesn’t mean much to Yuuma who doesn’t know much about Pendulums, but when Yuuya starts babbling about the card and telling him how they’ll have to duel now, Yuuma already knows this will be a card in his deck. He’ll need another Pendulum monster, but until then, Yuuma can practice Pendulum summoning.

“We should duel,” Yuuya tells him. “Kattobingu King versus Egao Entertainer –”

“You need to go see Shark first.”

Yuuma pauses. “Huh?”

“This is a quest, Yuuma. I’m not going to be your mystical guide, but Shark has another Pendulum card for you that he’s been meaning to give you, and I’m sure all the Barians will want to see you too and hear about your adventures. You should go get that card if you want to duel.”

A quest sounds like fun to Yuuma: not only will he get a free card out of it, but he’ll get to tell everyone about his adventures. Shark will tell him that he’s ridiculous for risking his life. Durbe will want to confirm all his theories about the dimensions, and Vector will want to hear his story too! Alit will want to see his Pendulum cards, Gilag will want to watch the duel, and Rio will probably just want to know that he made it back safe and didn’t screw anything up in the process. Besides, he’ll be able to make amends between Yuuya and the Barians. At least, he’ll be able to mend the bridge between them.

Yuuya looks a bit worried to be heading over there, but Yuuma eases some of the anxiety. “I’ll have to tell them all about the dimensions when they were breaking apart and fusing together!”

Kaito chuckles. “Make sure to tell Mizael that, even in this timeline, the world was created by dragons.”

They laugh, and before Kaito can return to his adult business and Chris can keep studying, Yuuma hurries round the table and pulls them into a hug. It’s not something he does often, and in fact Yuuma hasn’t even seen Kaito and Chris hug before, but Yuuma is a huggy person and he’s going to show his affection in the best way he can. Yuuma hugs them both so tight that Kaito’s breath catches and Chris makes an ‘oh!’ sound, but neither of them pull away until Yuuma is satisfied with the hug.

“I’m glad my wish helped you too.”

“Your wishes, Yuuma, are so selfish that it benefits others nonetheless.”

Chris nods in agreement. “Thank you, Yuuma.”

When the hug is over, Yuuma hurries back to Yuuya and entwines their fingers. Both Kaito and Chris raise an eyebrow, but neither of them say anything. Yuuma thinks they already know. He and Yuuya bid farewell to them with waves and thank-yous, reciprocated by Chris; Kaito huffs and tells them no more magical time rewrites.

“And don’t drag my brother around next time. I gave you permission to take him on a field trip, not a dimensional rescue mission.”

“If Haruto wasn’t there, then I probably would have done something even more ridiculous,” Yuuma says with a shrug.

Kaito doesn’t miss a beat: “That is not reassuring, Yuuma.”

And Yuuma is already on his way out the door, tugging Yuuya up the stairs and back towards the elevator with a devious smirk on his lips. He doesn’t make it far though before Haruto is in his path; having come from the kitchen, Haruto must’ve heard Yuuma and Yuuya talking in the study. Just like when they took the trip, Haruto looks ready for adventure. 

“If the dimensions are closer together,” Haruto says, “does that mean you can be my teacher again?”

Yuuma’s heart jumps into his throat. “That’s right! I can be a teacher again, and I won’t have to skip class anymore! We won’t have to take that long train ride either!”

Haruto clasps his hands together, eyes shining at the thought. “Then, um, see you tomorrow, Coach!”

“See you tomorrow, Haruto!”

When Yuuma leaves Heartland Tower, his heart feels as light as a feather. Nestled into central Heartland, the tower stands tall and proud. In nightmares, Yuuma remembers seeing it fall and burn, an ironic fate for a city whose motto is ‘Heart Burning!’ He now knows those were Yuuya’s nightmares, back when there was a reality where Heartland City fell. 

That reality is no more. This reality is bright, burning hotter than the sun. This time, Yuuma takes Yuuya’s hands and tries to skate backwards. The movements are jerky at first, his legs still trying to push him forward instead of weave him back. However, once Yuuma gets the rhythm Yuuya matches him, and they skate together in perfect sync. 

Yuuya doesn’t know the way to the Kamishiro Mansion, but the streets give enough clues for Yuuma to know which ones to turn down. Nonetheless, Yuuma still takes the chance to guide Yuuya through Heartland. When they get down to the water, Yuuma spins around so he can skate alongside Yuuya, still holding his hand. Yuuma remember walking along the breakwater and looking over the river at Maiami. Now, the river is much smaller and he can see people sitting on the other side.

There’s fewer distinctions between the dimensional cities. Heartland is colourful and bright, but there are now highways that shoot up to the heavens to connect the cities together. There are bridges to adjacent cities too. When Yuuma looks up to the sky, the buildings he sees don’t look as unfamiliar to him. He imagines going to cities that still feel a bit like home. 

Next to him, Yuuya looks at peace. He closes his eyes as they skate along the boulevard towards the Kamishiro Mansion. Yuuma has been down this path enough, but sharing the moment with Yuuya is a new surprise. The world seems warmer and brighter with Yuuya at his side. Yuuma thinks about how he’ll introduce Yuuya to the Barians, and if he’ll say that Yuuya is his boyfriend. He doesn’t normally think before he acts, and Astral has told him that he never should doubt himself –

So he doesn’t.

When Yuuya pulls Yuuma up the stairs to the Kamishiro Mansion, he keeps all worrying thoughts out of his mind. He raps on the front door. He doesn’t have to wait more than a second before Vector of all people throws open the door with a wide smile.

“You’re not dead!” he says, pulling Yuuma into the house before he can even greet him. With Yuuya’s hand still in his, he too is dragged into the house by Vector. As Vector drags him up the genkan and into the kitchen, Yuuma tries to kick off his shoes. He can hear several more voices in the kitchen, muted only by the distinct clink-and-clatter of silverware on plates. 

The mansion’s kitchen is open-style like Kaito’s with a long bar that drops back to the counters. On one side of the kitchen sit Rio, Shark, and Gilag, the former looking quite awake and well-rested, and the latter two looking like they stayed up late and didn’t sleep in. Alit leans against the table, foregoing the chair; he appears to be deep in telling a story when they enter. Both Durbe and Mizael cook, making what appears to be pancakes shaped in varying complex designs. 

Vector grins. “Look what I dragged in.”

Alit pushes himself off the counter at once, crying out, “Yuuma!” 

The others greet him first. The ones that know Yuuya greet him, while the others keep a pointed stare. Yuuma chastises them at once: “This is my boyfriend Yuuya! He helped me save the dimensions!”

Vector is down his throat at once: “Saved the dimensions  _ and  _ got the guy? My oh my, Yuuma, you really do live in a fairytale.”

“Zip it, Vector,” Shark mutters. “What Yuuma did was reckless –”

“And in the name of love!” Alit adds.

“– and we should not be fueling his fantasies.” Shark takes a deep sip from a cup with a shark-tail for a handle. “Good to know that he’s alive and well though.”

“And congratulations on finding love!” Rio concludes. 

Yuuma only lets the praise get to his head for a moment. He blushes crimson and laughs as all eyes are on him. Then he marches himself up to Shark, past the pancakes that tantalise him – he could have a second breakfast – and leans in close like he wants to tell Shark a secret. Before Shark can open his mouth to snap at him for bursting his bubble, Yuuma says, “Kaito told me you have a present for me!”

Shark opens his mouth and closes it. Opens it once again for good measure, but no sound comes out.

Yuuma continues: “Kaito gave me a present since I saved the dimensions, and he said you have one for me too. That’s not the real reason I came, because I wanted to see y’all too, but …” Yuuma rubs the back of his head and chuckles. “I also wanted to see what you got me.”

With an eyeroll, Shark reaches into his back pocket and pulls out one trading card. He slaps it face-down in Yuuma’s open palm, saying, “You shouldn’t expect presents from anyone, but I guess you’re the only one who could use this card.”

Yuuma flips it over.

It’s the second Pendulum monster. Hope Infinity is a Scale 13 Pendulum monster, another holographic card with little diamonds by its card description. Yuuma pulls out his other Pendulum monster and shows them both to Yuuya. “Look at my pendulums! I … I can be a Pendulum duelist just like you!”

Yuuya claps excitedly for him, cheeks glowing and eyes shimmering as bright as the card. From across the counter Mizael asks, “Don’t you need more Pendulum monsters for the effect to work? Aren’t those cards useless you have more monsters?”

“That will be important later!” Yuuma says. “I can now set the Pendulum Scale, and that’s what’s important!”

Mizael chuckles and continues flipping pancakes. Yuuma goes back to look at the card, admiring how the light catches on the sparkly, foil pieces. Yuuma has never seen Hope Pendulum monsters, though then again he remembers that in past realities Pendulum dueling wasn’t as prominent across the dimensions. Yet in this reality, Pendulum dueling is universal, meaning that there are Pendulum counterparts to most decks, which means –

Yuuma hugs the cards tight to his chest.

“I’m so happy!” he says.

Vector leans in close to him, and even closer to Shark’s face, who pushes him away with a grimace. “Are you crying, poor Yuuma-kun?”

“Tears of joy,” Yuuma insists, swiping at his eyes. 

He feels a hand on his shoulder; it’s Rio, smiling softly at him just like a big sister. “You did good, Yuuma. You saved us, you saved them – you saved everyone. The dimensions are safe because of your wish.”

Durbe nods in agreement. “And thank you, Yuuya, for your help. If anyone has ever been cross with you” – he shoots pointed looks at Shark and Vector – “then I apologise on their behalf. You helped Yuuma create a miracle that saved the dimensions from several unintentional, though nasty, glitches and curses. Dueling is safe because of your hard work.”

“And now we’ve got a name for fancy dueling: Entertainment dueling!” Alit holds one hand up, and in a voice that echoes off the walls, shouts, “From this day forth, we only duel for the happiness and smiles of the world!”

“Hope and smiles,” Yuuma says. He twirls his fingers in Yuuya’s. “We duel to bring hope and smiles.”

“Sappy as  _ hell,  _ Yuuma,” Shark growls. 

Yuuma just laughs. He takes one more look at the cards before he sticks them back in his pocket. With his now-free hand he can snatch pancakes off the main plate before Shark can chastise him about eating their food. He offers some to Yuuya too, who politely declines. By this point, Shark has stopped whining about Yuuma eating his food thanks to Durbe insisting he’ll make more pancakes, and Alit has begun telling him about the Original Dimension’s duel stadium as if it’s been in the city all along.

“But … you’ve never gone there before?” Yuuma says.

“Doesn’t matter! I just know it’s the place to duel at!”

“Duelist instincts,” Gilag adds. “I just feel it within me: that’s the place you want to duel at.”

It’s enough reason for Yuuma. He turns to Yuuya and offers up the idea. “I’ve got my Pendulum monsters and you’ve got your deck. Why don’t we duel each other properly this time? Nothing at stake; no pressure. Just a fun, lighthearted duel.”

“Do those even exist?” Durbe asks them with a chuckle.

Yuuya nods. “They do if you believe in it.” 

Shark tells they are still sappy as ever, and the others urge Yuuma to go and duel and try out his new cards. “You should come and watch me!” Yuuma insists, and they all decline and say that they have far too much homework to do – even Vector, who says that he has to get his work done if Yuuma is going to copy from it tonight. Despite their declines, Yuuma still feels their warmth in his heart: his friends want to be with him. His friends care about him, have travelled dimensions and timelines to always be with him. 

On the way out the door, Shark tells them, “Thanks for the Entertainment dueling, Yuuya,” and the sentiment is echoed by every one of the Barians.

Yuuma and Yuuya walk out of the Kamishiro Mansion with million-dollar smiles on their faces, still holding hands. From the front porch of the mansion, Yuuma can see the dueling stadium built in the centre of the dimensions, a building bigger than anything else within sight. It looks to be bigger than the Maiami Stadium, its walls tall and sturdy. There are lights coming from inside the stadium, yet the lack of noise makes Yuuma suspect there aren’t any major matches on.

“Do you think we can duel there?” he asks Yuuya.

“That’s where Zarc dueled,” Yuuya says. “I have memories of him being there, dueling before an audience that wanted him to perform more and more. I guess when the dimensions came together, a piece of the Original Dimension – and a piece of Zarc – stayed.” Shaking his head, Yuuma adds, “I think we should be able to duel there. At the very least, I want to check it out …”

So Yuuma pulls him forward, once again skating backwards through the city. When the congestion becomes thick and Yuuma nearly runs over a couple walking down the sidewalk, Yuuya gets him to skate beside him in the bike lane. There, they can skate faster through the city. The bright lights bounce off their speeding forms, unable to trap them in the spotlight. It isn’t until they are before the stadium, nearly out of Heartland, that the lights catch up with them.

The stadium is massive. From a distance it had seemed like quite the monstrosity, but up close it is even more of a behemoth. It takes up Yuuma’s entire field of vision; if he had thought he could see around or over it to spot where the other dimensional cities taper off, he is sorely mistaken. No, the white stadium is there, a bright pinnacle decorated in blue-coloured glass windows. The same glass then snakes up to cover the top of the stadium; Yuuma had thought it was an open-top arena, but up close he can now see the thin, transparent layer of glass. 

And it’s  _ busy.  _ Despite this being a new structure in Yuuma’s mind, there are duelists leaving and entering as if they’ve always known this place existed. There are even duelists out on the lawns outside of the stadium, young children and teenagers having mock-duels.

Yuuma feels the breath whoosh out of his lungs when, from a loudspeaker outside of the building, a voice calls out, “Ladies and Gentlemen!” Suddenly the walls are flipping out to reveal camera lens that point up at a large screen above the stadium. The screen flickers once, twice, and then there is a crystal-clear image of duelists on the fields.

“Is there a match going on?” Yuuma says, vice pitched high with excitement.

Yuuya shakes his head, still smiling. “Those are friendly duels.”

Yuuma knows it. He can feel the joyous energy bursting from the walls, seeping out of cracks and crevices. Happiness infects everyone around, plaguing them with genuine, effortless smiles. It’s like magic all over again, spreading through the duelists.

It’s contagious.

Yuuma dashes into the building, throwing open the doors. The lobby is equally busy. There is a guest centre to the right that is giving directions to a group of young duelists. Chairs and tables are to the left, occupied by families and friends taking a break from dueling or spectating. Before them are several arched doorways, embossed with gold dragons. When Yuuma looks up, the ceiling is decorated with four great dragons encircling four glimmering bracelets. It looks like an updated, more beautiful version of the ceiling in Academia. 

Through the archways is an open dueling field, green grass speckled with wildflowers. The Real Solid Vision System has manipulated the sky to make it clear blue and dusted with clouds. The artificial breeze tousles Yuuma’s hair and caresses his cheeks. For a moment, Yuuma stands in awe before the biggest dueling arena in all of the dimensions.

This is Zarc’s wish.

There are smiles and laughter, rising up like a symphony from the dozens – no,  _ hundreds –  _ of duelists in the stadium. The field is the size of eight or nine arenas put together, and duelists space like good friends. Yuuma can see every time of Summoning method in use. Everyone has their own, unique deck, and the whirlwind of colour from the Real Solid Vision makes the place seem bursting with magic.

It’s such a glorious sight that Yuuma doesn’t realise he’s been staring until Yuuya leads him down the steps and towards an empty area of the field. They pass by several multi-Summoning duelists who give them bright smiles: “Hey, I know you too! You’ve competed in tournaments before!”

“And we saved the dimensions!” Yuuma adds.

In the open space of the dueling field, Yuuma and Yuuya stand apart. A nervous laugh bubbles up from Yuuma. “No forming Zexal when we’re against each other, right?”

Yuuya laughs. “We’re always together, aren’t we?”

And Yuuma jumps. He reaches up towards the sky, connecting hands with Yuuya. The chant is already on the tip of his tongue when he hears the melody. It sounds like dozens of voices coming together to cheer for them. Yuuma imagines standing before a stage of duelists, a performer in the play of life.

“Duelists locked in battle!”

Yuuya pulls him up towards the clouds, spinning him round and round like a top. For a moment, it feels like being in Zexal. Distantly, Yuuma can hear the voices of Yuuya’s counterparts. He wonders if Yuuya can hear their voices too, or if, when he connects with Yuuma, he can hear Astral’s voice.

“Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!”

It feels like being in Zexal. Yuuma remembers falling through the galaxies with Yuuya, stars in his vision. His heart beats to the rhythm of Yuuya’s. When Yuuya draws him closer, Yuuma thinks back to all the times he’s reached out to Yuuma, to all the times Yuuya has reached out to him. Yuuma thinks about the first time he kissed Yuuya, and to the first time Yuuya kissed him. There have been moments – precious, irreplaceable moments – that Yuuma never wants to forget. At the same time, those same moments can’t be secrets. Yuuma has already kissed Yuuya on interdimensional television to broadcast to the world the power of love.

He’ll do it again.

“They storm through this field!”

With a cry of happiness, Yuuma pulls Yuuya up to him so they are chest to chest, forehead to forehead. He can see the speckles in Yuuya’s eyes and the faint blush on his cheeks. Yuuya’s lips are parted in anticipation for the moment.

“Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling!”

Yuuma kisses Yuuya. He keeps their hands tight, but while floating Yuuma realises he keeps bumping noses and cheeks with Yuuya. It feels awkward for a moment until he matches Yuuya’s pace; Yuuya sucks on his bottom lip for a moment. In response, Yuuma nuzzles closer, leaning as close as he can so he can taste Yuuya on his lips, feels Yuuya’s beating heart against his. It’s the closest they’ve ever been without forming Zexal.

When they let go, it’s to break away and land back down on the field.

“Action Duel!”

From there, the magic begins. It’s a duel meant to spark imagination and hope in everyone. Yuuma sets his Pendulum Scale even when he doesn’t have any monsters to Pendulum Summon. It’s the thought that counts, right? Likewise, Yuuya Summons, Fusion Summons, Xyz Summons – he tests out new skills, combo-ing in ways he would’ve never tried.

“Take a step forward with courage!” Yuuma tells him.

Yuuya’s monsters are strong. His Summoning skills far exceed Yuuma’s, and it becomes even more clear with each dragon Yuuya Special Summons. He calls out his counterparts’ monsters; they join his field with happy roars, filling the stadium with cheers and cries. There isn’t worry in Yuuma’s mind though: no, in this moment no pressure can penetrate the joy in his heart and mind. This is one Action Duel that Yuuma doesn't have to win. This is one Action Duel without the pressure to perform.

“Trap reveal! Hi-Five the Sky!”

The card flips open and shimmers under the sunlight. It’s a card Yuuma had once worried about putting in his deck. It’s a card he lives his life by, a card that Yuuma wants to remember his memories with  _ Yuuya.  _

Hope attacks once more, sword first raised to the heavens and then crashing down on Odd-Eyes. The explosion shocks them and duelists several fields over. The aftershocks last long after the attack; Yuuma’s legs quiver from the explosion, but across the field Yuuya is smiling smiling and laughing. 

“That card … that’s your card, isn’t it?”

He can’t keep the pride out of his voice. “That’s me  _ on  _ the card!”

On Yuuya’s next turn, he has the same knowing smile as Yuuma. He thumbs through his cards, fingers flicking them back and forth. “You know, Yuuma, that the best duelists can see themselves through their deck.” He pulls out two cards, backs faced to Yuuma. “You’ve told me before that duelists can draw just the cards they need to win a match. Well, I guess I’ve gotten lucky.”

Yuuya drops two cards onto his field: Hope Stairs and Challenge Stairs, two cards that Yuuma hasn’t seen before in Heartland. Both cards feature a little boy with red and green hair like a tomato, moving forward to take on a challenge. The resemblance is uncanny; it couldn’t even be on of Yuuya’s  _ counterparts  _ on these cards. No, the little boy embracing the challenge is Yuuya.

“You have cards with you on it too!” Yuuma cries. “No way!”

The cards work like an alternate version of Double-Up Chance, a card Yuuma is familiar with. First, Odd-Eyes attacks; unable to destroy Hope, its attack power is raised and it attacks once more. This time, Hope loses: it explodes in a cloud of stardust, spreading across the entire field. Yuuma watches his monster disappear until the dust is too thick. When the field clears, the first thing Yuuma sees is Yuuya’s pendulum, swinging back and forth along his neck.

Yuuma’s life points drop to 0.

“You … you did it!” Yuuma says. Their monsters disappear in another burst of starlight, and by  the time the field has cleared enough to see through, Yuuma has jumped through the thick of it to land on Yuuya. This time, he doesn’t kiss him. With his hands on Yuuya’s shoulders and his legs wrapped around his waist, Yuuma just bends down to hug him. He can feel Yuuya’s heartbeat against his ribcage, and by being so close Yuuma’s voice is a gentle prayer in his mind.

_ “Kattobingu,  _ Yuuya!”

The Key glows softly against his chest.

_ “Egaobingu,  _ Yuuma.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's complete! 
> 
> i ... honestly can't believe i wrote a fic this long in under three months. it's pretty incredible, and i see it as a mark of my growth as a writer. now i'm writing so, so much more, and having fun while writing - no joke, i have never had an easier time writing a fic than i did with BITYSS. looking back on this fic, there are certainly little pieces i would change or plot lines i would have included (definitely more Yuzu ... definitely more Yuzu). i'm not sure if i'll write one-shots post-series for this fic or not, but i do like what i've created. i'm so happy i was part of the Big Bang (and i'm participating next year too!).
> 
> again, thank you to:  
> \- my beta, [vanishing-rainias](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Reishiin/pseuds/Reishiin)  
> \- my fanmixer, [pendulumscale](https://twitter.com/PendulumScale)  
> \- my two artists, [fluffymoe](http://fluffymoe.tumblr.com) and [thetrainticket](http://trainsart.tumblr.com/)  
> \- my fellow kattomato shipper, [frysfan](http://frysfan.tumblr.com/) who has been actively reblogging my story on tumblr <3
> 
> without y'all, this story would not have been created or shared! thank you to everyone who has read, kudo'd, and commented on this fic - you're the best! >w<  
> cheers and thank you,  
> \- Lily-liegh

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to ask questions or come say hi to me on tumblr @lily-liegh <3


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